University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


A   WINTER 


IN 


CENTRAL  AMERICA 


AND 


MEXICO 


BY 


HELEN    J.    SANBORN 


BOSTON 
LEE   AND    SHEPARD    PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YORK   CHARLES  T.  DILLINGHAM 
1886 


Copyright,  i88b, 
BY  LEE  AND  SHEPARD. 

All  Rights  Reserved. 

CENTRAL    AMERICA. 


ELECTROTYPES  BY 
C.  J.  PETERS  AND  SON,  BOSTON. 


PREFACE. 


THE  knights  of  old  journeyed  into  distant  lands 
to  do  deeds  of  chivalry ;  the  knights  of  to-day, 
more  practical  though  not  less  courageous,  go 
searching  for  the  North  Pole,  for  gold,  for  knowl- 
edge, for  adventure  ;  but  who  of  them  has  gone 
into  distant,  uncivilized  lands  in  search  of  coffee  ? 
Such  was  the  errand  of  the  two  whose  wanderings 
and  observations  are  recorded  in  this  little  volume. 
The  journey  was  undertaken  by  Mr.  James  S. 
Sanborn,  of  the  firm  of  Chase  and  Sanborn,  of 
this  city,  in  the  interest  of  the  coffee  business  of 
that  firm.  The  author  went,  as  narrated  in  the 
first  chapter,  to  be  a  companion  to  her  father,  and, 
as  far  as  a  limited  knowledge  permitted,  to  speak 
the  Spanish  language.  On  our  return"  home, 
notes  of  our  travels  were  published  in  the  New 
England  Grocer,  for  the  interest  of  the  trade. 

iii 


IV  PREFACE. 


The  publication  of  these  in  book  form  has  been 
demanded  so  widely,  by  friends  and  strangers,  that 
—  well,  here  is  the  book  ! 

Among  the  scores  of  books  constantly  coming 
into  market,  the  writer  feels  that  this  one  has  no 
reason  for  being  and  no  claim  for  attention,  except 
from  the  fact  that  it  treats  principally  of  a  coun- 
try and  a  people  as  yet  but  little  known,  and 
rarely  visited  or  written  about.  The  narrative  is 
a  true,  unvarnished  tale  ;  and  our  earnest  desire 
and  hope  is  that  it  may  awaken  in  those  who  read 
a  greater  interest  in,  and  regard  for,  that  small, 
remote,  almost  unknown  republic  of  Guatemala, 
which  we  shall  always  hold  in  loving  remembrance. 

H.  J.   S. 

BOSTON,  February,  1886. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

OFF  FOR  GUATEMALA! 

The  Outlook  —  Discouraging  Prospect  —  The  Start  —  In  the 
South  —  New  Orleans  —  The  Mississippi  and  the  Gulf  — 
Sea-sickness  —  A  Sumptuous  Repast  —  In  the  Caribbean 

—  Our  Indian  Pilot  —  Arrival  at  Balize 7 

CHAPTER  II. 

BALIZE,  LIVINGSTON,  AND  THE  CARIES. 

Tropical  Luxuriance  —  Our  Hostelry —  An  After-Dinner  Drive 

—  An   Odd    Cemetery  —  Business-hours  —  Livingston  — 
Strange  Sights  —  The  Caribs  —  Carib  Folk-lore  —  Leaves 
from  Carib  History  —  Race-qualities 19 

CHAPTER    III. 

A   VOYAGE   ON   THE    RIVERS    DULCE   AND    POLOCHIC. 

The  "Sweet  River"  —  The  "Golf etc"  —  Lake  Izabal  —  Exor- 
bitant Duties  —  Inconsistency  of  Officials  —  Spanish  Polite- 
ness—  The  Marimba  —  The  Indian's  Idea — In  Crooked 
Ways  — A  World  of  Beauty  — Bird  and  Beast  — The  Land 

of  Mariana 31 

i 


2  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   IV. 

LIFE   AMONG   THE    INDIANS. 

Beasts  of  Burden  —  Indians  and  Ladinos  —  Travelling  in 
Style  —  A  Refractory  Mule  —  A  Terrible  Road  —  Spanish 
Jargon  —  A  Valued  Friend  —  New  Difficulties  —  In  the 
"Cabildo"  —  Frugal  Fare  —  Primitive  Couches  —  The  Na- 
tive Beverage  —  A  Fairy's  Bower  —  Tucuru  —  Fine  Scen- 
ery—  A  Shower  of  Questions  —  Occupying  a  Jail  —  Our 
Friend  Leaves 'Us — Spanish  Tact  —  Dress  of  the  Natives 

—  "All  Right"  —  A  Queer  Hubbub  —  Indian  Music      .     .    44 

CHAPTER   V. 

A   WEEK    IN   AN    INDIAN    VILLAGE. 

A  Thrifty  Town  —  Cassimir's  Triumph  —  A  Reflex  of  Home 

—  Hungry  Travellers  —  Candelaria  —  Coban  —  Exiles  from 
Civilization  —  Welcome  Visitors  —  The  "  Plaza  " —  Funeral 
Rites  —  Evening    Worship  —  Anxious    Forebodings — In 
Despair — Obstacles  —  Injustice  to  the  Indians     ....     68 

CHAPTER   VI. 

ON    MULE-BACK. 

The  Dreaded  Ordeal  —  A  Young  Smoker  —  "Salama"  —  An 
Enchanting  Scene  — A  "Great  Man's"  Trials  — The  Goi- 
tre—  A  Hard  Climb  —  Mountain  after  Mountain  —  The 
Land  of  Do-nothing  —  An  Indifferent  Official  —  A  Motley 
Throng  — "Agua,  Agua" —  Unique  "  Villages  " —  A  Strange 
Bedfellow  —  A  Barren  Place  —  A  Clever  Ruse  —  A  Sleep- 
less Night  —  Astir  Again  —  Looking  for  Dawn  —  Awful 
Grandeur  — "Our  Heads  Fairly  Whirled"  —  "  No  Mas 
Mulas  "  —  Melesio  Leaves  Us 84 

CHAPTER   VII. 

THE   CAPITAL. 

"Pequena  Paris"  —  A  Pleasant  City  —  Our  Host  and  Host- 
ess—The Hotel's  "  Patio  "  —  A  Black  Pedagogue  —  King 


CONTENTS.  3 

Carnival  —  The  American  Minister  —  The  Market  —  Tire- 
less Servitors  —  Rise  of  the  Liberals  —  A  Protestant  Mis- 
sion—  Guatemalan  Schools  — At  the  Opera 108 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

A   BULL   FIGHT. 

Victims  of  Carnival  —  A  Relic  of  Barbarism  —  A  Gay  Throng 

—  The  Actors  — Torturing  the  Bull  — A  Wonderful  Feat 

—  The  "  Matador  "  —  Master  of  the  Situation  —  A  Wan- 
ton Sacrifice  —  The  Spanish  View —  A  Needed  Reform    .     122 

CHAPTER   IX. 

ANTIGUA   AND   A   BURIED   CITY. 

A  Busy  Scene  —  A  Rare  Garden  —  Antigua  —  A  Weird  Ruin 

—  Our   Little    Cicerone  —  Agua   and    Fuego  —  "Ciudad 
Vieja"  —  A  Thief  in  the  Night  —  At  the  Foot  of  Agua  — 

"  Cerro  del  Carmen  " — Forebodings 134 

CHAPTER   X. 

INTERVIEW  WITH   PRESIDENT  AND   MRS.   BARRIOS. 

Barrios  —  A  Cordial  Greeting  —  Devotion  of  the  Indians  — 
"  La  Presidenta  "  —  A  Romantic  Alliance  —  On  the  Eve 
of  Revolution  —  The  Great  Decree  —  A  Republic  in 
Name  —  The  Iron  Hand  —  A  False  Step  —  Secret  Prepa- 
rations—  A  Faithless  Friend  —  The  Man  and  His  Time 

—  Barrios' Works  —  A  Glowing  Tribute 146 

CHAPTER   XI. 

COFFEE   PLANTATIONS,   GROWTH   AND   CULTIVATION. 

The  Coffee  Plant  — Setting  the  Shrub  —  Preparing  the  Berry 

—  Indian  Labor  —  Water  in  Coffee-curing — Guatemala 
Coffees  —  Difficulties  in  Buying  Coffee 162 


4  COXTEXTS. 

CHAPTER    XII. 

CHARACTER   AND   CUSTOMS    OF   THE    PEOPLE. 

Aztec  and  Toltec  —  Condition  of  the  Indians — Picturesque 
Costumes  —  Woman  in  Guatemalan  Society — Love-mak- 
ing—  Embarrassing  Admiration  —  Gambling  and  Drink- 
ing—  A  Hopeless  Feature  of  Society  —  An  Unflattering 
Picture  —  The  Other  Side  —  A  Bird's-eye  View  of  History 
—  Recent  Events 170 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

GUATEMALA   TO   PANAMA. 

Rich  Resources  —  Xeed  of  Railroads  —  Good-bye  to  Guate- 
mala —  San  Jose  —  Tremendous  Surf  —  Fleecing  — Tossed 
by  the  Billows  —  A  Bitter-Sweet  Experience  —  Two  Fig- 
ures —  Blissful  Ignorance  —  A  "  Norther  " —  The  "  Peace- 
ful "  Ocean 183 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

PANAMA,    ASPINWALL,    AND   THE   ISTHMUS. 

The  Hand  of  Providence  —  An  Unhealthy  Climate  —  A 
Wretched  Night  —  Crossing  the  Isthmus  —  Colon  — 
Drink  and  the  Fever  —  Death  in  the  Air  —  Tempted  to 
Retreat  —  The  Eloquence  of  Despair  —  A  Fiery  Furnace,  196 

CHAPTER  XV. 

VOYAGE    IN    AN    ENGLISH   STEAMER. 

A  Lawless  State  of  Affairs  —  A  Joyful  Departure  —  A  Mis- 
cellaneous Company  —  An  Odd  Little  Baby  —  All  An- 
chored on  Deck  —  A  Terrible  "  Blow  "  —  Warnings  of  the 
"  Norther  "  —  Two  Waifs  —  "  The  Flowing  Bowl  "  —  Two 
Sides  of  the-  Question  —  Sherry  in  the  Pudding-Sauce  — 
Eagerness  for  Land  —  A  Kind  and  Thoughtful  Captain  .  207 


CONTENTS,  5 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

ACROSS  THE  GULF  TO  VERA  CRUZ. 

A  Calm  and  Placid  Voyage  —  Tired  of  the  Sea — Importu- 
nate Boatmen  —  A  Queer  Old  Place  —  Byron  Recalled  — 
A  Spanish  Cuisine  —  Street  Scenes  —  Bandits  —  "  The 
City  of  the  Dead  "  —  An  Unwilling  Sojourn 221 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

A   DAY'S    JOURNEY    FROM    COAST   TO    CAPITAL. 

The  Vegetation  of  All  Zones  —  A  Tribute  to  Mexican  Ser- 
vants —  Wild  Beauties  —  Snow-crowned  Orizaba  —  A 
Vision  of  Eden  —  Marvellous  Engineering  —  A  Fairy 
Town  —  "La  Boca  del  Monte" — A  Mexican  Caballero  — 
In  the  Land  of  Cut-throats  —  On  the  Table-lands  —  En- 
veloped in  Dust  and  Smoke  —  Extensive  Stock-raising  — 
A  Famous  Robber  Town  —  A  Helping  Hand 232 

CHAPTER   XVIII. 

CITY    OF    MEXICO. 

The  Praises  of  Mexico  —  An  Inviting  Field  for  Tourists  — 
Mexican  Hotels  —  A  Great  Physical  Change  —  A  Beauti- 
ful Climate  —  The  Venice  of  the  Aztecs  —  A  Splendid 
Pageant  —  Aztec  Civilization  —  A  Gifted  People  —  Two 
Peoples  Compared  —  Free  from  Care  —  The  Power 
of  Time  Defied  —  The  Vile  "Lepero"—  The  Kindly 
"Aguador" 248 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

IN    AND   ABOUT   THE    PLAZA. 

"  Nieve  "  and  Fruit-Drinks  —  "  Pulque  "  —  The  Great  Cathe- 
dral—  A  Gorgeous  Interior  —  "Driving  the  Devil  Out" 

—  Vengeance  upon  Judas  —  The  Mexican  Passion-Play  — 
A  Perfect  Picture  —  Missions  in  Mexico  —  The  "  Calendar 
Stone  "  —  The  Temple  of  Sacrifice  — The  National  Palace 

—  Petty  Merchants  —  Haggling  —  Injured  Innocence  .     .     263 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XX. 

RAMBLES    ABOUT   THE   CITY. 

A  Touch  of  Nature — Snail-paced  Mexico  —  An  Unweeded 
Garden  —  The  Beauty  of  Mexican  Women  —  Artistic 
Handiwork — The  Grand  National  Museum  —  The  Acad- 
emy of  San  Carlos  —  The  National  Pawn-Shop  —  Pro- 
crastination —  A  Song  of  To-morrow 279 

CHAPTER   XXI. 

EXCURSIONS    IN    THE    SUBURBS. 

The  Shrine  of  Guadalupe  —  "  The  Tree  of  the  Sad  Night " 

—  A   Disastrous   Retreat  —  Alvarado's    Leap  —  Joy  and 
Sunshine — Under   a   Spell  —  Floating   Gardens  —  Our 
Last  Indian  Breakfast  —  Chapultepec  —  A  Fine  Boulevard 

—  A    Spanish   Castle  —  A    Lovely   Valley  —  A    Restful 
Scene  —  A  Trysting  Place 290 

CHAPTER   XXII. 

HOMEWARD   BOUND. 

Leaving  Mexico  —  Beggars  and  Peddlers  —  A  Mining  Dis- 
trict—  In  the  Desert  —  Crossing  the  Frontier  —  The  Im- 
portance of  Spanish — The  Melody  of  Spanish — George 
Eliot  on  Spanish  —  Flexibility  of  Spanish — Special  Uses 
of  Spanish  —  A  Strange  Fascination  —  Reminders  of 
Mexico  —  Kit  Carson's  Cabin  —  A  Familiar  Face  —  Home 
Again — Retrospection 305 


A  WINTER  IN  CENTRAL  AMERICA 
AND   MEXICO. 


CHAPTER   I. 

OFF    FOR    GUATEMALA ! 

"  WHY  don't  you  take  your  daughter  Helen 
with  you  on  your  southern  trip  ? " 

This  question  was  asked  by  a  friend  of  the 
family  as  we  sat  chatting  together  in  the  library, 
one  evening,  about  the  journey  which  my  father 
was  soon  to  take  through  Central  America  and 
Mexico. 

My  father  replied,  "  I  should  be  very  glad  to 
take  anybody  who  could  speak  Spanish." 

"  Oh,  will  you  take  me  if  I  will  learn  Spanish  ?" 
I  exclaimed,  eagerly.  "I  will  learn  it  before  you 
go,  if  you  will  only  promise  to  take  me  ! " 

Much  to  my  own  surprise  the  challenge  was 
accepted,  and,  although  fresh  from  college  and 
longing  for  a  glimpse  of  foreign  lands,  I  felt  a  little 
dismayed,  when  I  had  time  for  deliberation,  at 
the  task  I  had  set  myself  —  to  learn  a  language  of 

7 


THE   OUTLOOK. 

which  I  knew  not  a  word,  and  make  all  preparations 
for  a  long  journey  in  the  short  space  of  less  than 
three  months  which  must  intervene  before  our 
departure.  However,  of  this  I  breathed  not  a 
syllable  to  any  one,  but  went  to  work  at  once. 

We  found  in  planning  the  journey  the  greatest 
difficulty,  since  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  gain 
any  information  about  the  countries  we  were  to 
visit.  It  is  truly  surprising  how  very  little  the 
people  of  the  United  States  know  about  Central 
America.  Their  knowledge  of  the  North  Pole  or 
Africa  is  more  extensive  than  of  this  rich  portion 
of  their  own  continent.  The  reason  is  obviously  its 
great  lack  of  facilities  for  travelling,  for  there  are 
sufficient  attractions  to  lure  all  classes  of  people, 
from  the  wealthy  tourist  to  the  poor  boy  "  seeking 
his  fortune."  There  is  fine  scenery  for  the  travel- 
ler ;  rich  mines,  valuable  woods,  and  tropical  fruits 
for  the  speculator ;  rare  plants,  birds  and  animals 
for  the  naturalist ;  wonderful  ruins  for  the  antiqua- 
rian, and  a  curious  and  interesting  people  for  all. 
But  these  can  be  reached  only  by  toilsome  journeys 
on  mule-back,  and  by  a  most  decided  experience  of 
"roughing  it,"  so  that  the  country  has  hitherto 
been  visited  almost  exclusively  by  seekers  after 


DISCOURAGING  PROSPECT.  9 

wealth,  adventure,  or  scientific  knowledge,  and  by 
only  a  few  of  these. 

Before  we  left  home  we  found  one  or  two  per- 
sons who  had  been  in  Central  America,  and  they 
gave  us  a  most  discouraging  account  of  the  hard- 
ships to  be   endured  in  that  uncivilized  country, 
where  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  are  Indians,  and 
most  of  the  travelling  must  be  done  in  the  saddle. 
One  gentleman  in  particular  declared  that  it  was 
utterly  unreasonable  for  a  lady  to  attempt  such 
a  journey,  and  his  judgment  was  corroborated  by 
letters  received  from  American  consuls  at  different 
points,  who,  after  explaining  the  dangers  and  diffi- 
culties to  be  encountered,  always  added  as  advice 
to  my  father,  "  You  can  probably  take  the  journey 
very  well,  but  we  would  strongly  advise  you  not  to 
bring  your  daughter."     However,  we  were  not  to 
be  daunted.     I  felt  very  sure  that  I  could  go  wher- 
ever my  father  could  ;    and   besides  we   did    not 
believe  more  than  half  that  was  told  us,  although 
on  our  return  we  were  ready  to  declare  that  the 
most    highly    colored    accounts    were    no    exag- 
geration. 

The  largest  and  most  important  State  of  Cen- 
tral America  is  Guatemala,   and   the   pleasantest 


IO  THE  START. 

and  most  common  route  is  to  go  by  the  Pacific 
Mail  steamer  from  New  York  to  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  cross  the  Isthmus  by  rail  and  take  the 
Pacific  Mail  on  the  other  side  to  San  Jose,  in 
Guatemala,  whence  there  is  a  railroad  to  Guate- 
mala City,  the  capital.  The  other  route  is  to  sail 
from  New  Orleans  to  Livingston,  in  Guatemala, 
and  cross  the  country  on  mule-back  to  Guatemala 
City.  In  this  journey  both  routes  were  combined, 
as  giving  more  variety  and  wider  acquaintance 
with  the  country.  We  entered  the  country  by  the 
latter  and  left  it  by  the  former  and  more  common 
route. 

We  left  Boston  on  a  cold  winter  day  from  the 
New  York  and  New  England  depot,  by  the  Vir- 
ginia Midland  route,  passing  through  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Washington,  Richmond, 
Charlotte,  Atlanta,  and  Mobile,  to  New  Orleans. 
We  spent  a  day  each  in  Baltimore  and  Richmond, 
where  we  were  most  pleasantly  entertained  by 
friends;  but  aside  from  this  the  journey  through 
the  Southern  States  was  uninteresting.  From 
the  car  windows  one  sees  for  the  most  part  long 
stretches  of  rather  barren  fields  and  wretched 
negro  huts,  the  monotony  being  broken  only  at 


IN  THE   SOUTH.  II 

the  stations,  where  crowds  of  negroes  are  always 
hanging  about,  shouting  and  laughing.  In  many 
of  the  cities,  however,  building  is  constantly  going 
on,  business  is  brisk,  and  decided  progress  is 
shown  in  mercantile  enterprises.  With  the  people 
of  the  South  we  were  most  favorably  impressed. 
We  found  them  exceptionally  social,  warm- 
hearted, and  obliging,  and  all  the  officials  most 
kind  and  courteous,  far  exceeding  Northern  people 
in  this  respect. 

One  hears  about  the  war  on  every  hand.  Con- 
versation is  full  of  "before  the  war,"  "during  the 
war,"  and  "since  the  war."  The  following  story 
admirably  illustrates  this  point :  — 

It  is  said  that  Oscar  Wilde,  in.  his  visit  to  the 
South,  took  a  moonlight  walk  with  a  young  lady, 
to  whom  he  made  the  not  very  original  but  en- 
tirely sincere  remark,  — 

"How  beautiful  the  moonlight  is!  The  moon 
never  looked  lovelier  than  it  does  to-night  ! " 

To  which  the  young  lady  replied  with  emphasis, 
"  Oh,  Mr.  Wilde,  you  ought  to  have  seen  that 
moon  'before  the  war'  !  " 

In  New  Orleans  we  found  the  exposition  in 
progress,  but  left  it  for  our  return  trip,  as  we  had 


12  NEW  ORLEANS. 

but  two  days  before  the  sailing  of  the  steamer 
for  Central  America.  We  were  mainly  impressed 
with  New  Orleans  as  a  very  dirty  city,  having  a 
climate  rivaling  that  of  New  England,  for  the 
first  day  we  were  there  was  as  mild  as  spring,  and 
the  second  as  cold  as  midwinter  in  Boston. 

The  morning  of  our  departure,  on  our  way 
to  the  wharf,  we  were  driven  through  most 
wretched  streets,  which  gave  no  evidence  of  being 
repaired  since  the  foundation  of  the  city.  They 
were  full  of  ruts  and  mud-holes,  which  caused  the 
coach  to  bang  about  in  an  alarming  manner.  In 
addition,  we  ran  into  a  mule  team,  driven  by  a 
negro,  who  protested  to  our  driver  calmly  but  per- 
suasively, "  If  yo'  kill  dis  mule,  it'll  cost  yer 
mor'n  dat  load'll  fetch  yer."  The  threat  was  tell- 
ing, and  we  were  finally  extricated  and  landed  at 
the  wharf  alive,  but  well  shaken  up. 

The  steamer  Wanderer,  on  which  we  embarked, 
is  a  small  steamer,  of  only  531  tons,  and  has  poor 
accommodations  for  passengers,  there  being  no 
saloon  or  promenade  deck,  and  hardly  space  enough 
for  a  chair  between  the  staterooms  and  railing. 

There  was  a  goodly  number  of  passengers  on 
board,  many  of  them  attracted  to  Central  America 


THE  MISSISSIPPI  AND    THE    GULF.  13 

by  the  railroad  projected  by  President  Barrios  to 
be  built  from  the  coast  to  the  capital.  There 
were  but  two  ladies  —  how  thankful  I  was  that 
there  were  two,  for  I  had  feared  there  would  be 
none  —  and  with  them  and  their  husbands  we  be- 
came well  acquainted  and  passed  many  pleasant 
hours.  The  two  gentlemen  were  Scotch  —  one 
living  in  Montreal,  and  the  other  in  British  Hon- 
duras. 

For  the  first  afternoon  and  evening  we  were  on 
the  Mississippi,  and  the  boat  moved  as  quietly  as 
if  on  a  pond.  We  saw  the  sugar  plantations,  rice 
fields,  and  levees,  and  had  a  glorious  sunset.  By 
half-past  nine  that  evening  the  steamer  had  crossed 
the  bar,  and,  as  one  of  the  Scotchmen  said,  began 
"to  rock  a  wee  bit."  The  next  morning  she  was 
fairly  out  in  the  Gulf,  tossing  and  pitching  in  a 
"chop  sea,"  and  everybody  was  sea-sick.  One 
gentleman  declared  "the  steamer  could  jump  sixty 
different  ways  a  minute,  and  perform  more  antics 
than  an  acrobat."  In  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  she 
found  ample  scope  for  her  powers,  for,  as  the  old 
black  stewardess  said,  "There's  the  devil  in  it 
sometimes."  It  is  a  most  treacherous  body  of 
water ;  at  times  as  quiet  and  peaceful  as  a  lake, 


14  SEA-SfCK.YESS. 

and  then  again  as  raging  and  tumultuous  as  a 
maelstrom.  For  a  few  hours  we  would  sit  quietly 
on  deck,  the  water  as  smooth  as  glass;  then,  sud- 
denly, without  warning,  we  would  be  driven  into 
our  rooms  by  a  shower  of  rain  and  a  fearful  tossing 
of  the  vessel. 

Nearly  everybody  on  board  was  sea-sick  for  two 
days.  My  case  was  not  one  of  the  most  serious,  as 
I  never  for  a  moment  longed  to  die  or  be  thrown 
overboard,  as  I  have  been  told  is  the  experience  of 
those  severely  afflicted.  As  soon  as  I  could  I 
crawled  out  and  sat  in  a  chair  by  my  stateroom 
door.  Then  I  began  to  wonder  why  my  father  was 
so  quiet  and  did  not  appear  at  all  to  wish  me 
"good  morning"  or  see  how  I  was.  Just  then  I 
saw  the  steward  carrying  a  little  tray  of  tea  and 
toast  to  him,  and  learned  on  inquiry,  much  to  my 
surprise,  that  my  father  was  a  victim  too. 

With  no  one  to  talk  to  I  had  no  entertainment 
save  that  furnished  by  my  fellow-passengers,  and, 
although  far  from  comfortable  myself,  was  greatly 
amused  by  some  of  their  experiences.  In  the 
adjoining  stateroom  was  one  poor  fellow  who  was 
terribly  sick,  and  his  friends,  who  were  suffering 
somewhat  less,  tried  very  hard  to  extend  their 


A   SUMPTUOUS  XEPAST.  1 5 

sympathy  by  occasionally  appearing  at  the  door 
and  inquiring,  "How  are  you  now,  Charlie?" 
But  this  question,  jerked  out  with  great  speed  and 
vehemence,  was  the  extent  of  their  condolence,  for 
they  could  never  wait  for  an  answer,  but  with  the 
greatest  eagerness  hastened  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  neighboring  rail,  that  most  valuable  and  popu- 
lar resort  at  such  times.  \ 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  we  had  all 
sufficiently  recovered  to  sit  on  deck,  and  think 
about  having  a  little  supper  brought  to  us.  How 
we  discussed  that  supper  beforehand !  A  bride 
never  gave  more  careful  thought  to  her  trousseau 
than  our  party  of  six  to  that  meal ;  for,  although 
we  had  been  fasting  for  a  long  time,  we  were  not 
yet  suffering  the  pangs  of  real  hunger,  and  were 
greatly  in  doubt  as  to  just  what  would  meet  the 
demands  of  the  case.  After  much  debate  we  pre- 
sented  the  steward  with  the  following  order  :  — 

Mr.  P.  —  Potatoes  and  salt  beef. 

Mrs.  P.  —  Crackers  and  cheese. 

Mr.  A.  —  Salt  fish  and  boiled  potatoes. 

Mrs.  A.  —  Ice,  celery,  and  salt! 

Mr.  S.  —  Tea. 

Miss  S.  —  Sardines. 


i6 


IN  THE   CARIBBEAN. 


Our  anxious  thought  had  not  been  in  vain  ;  the 
meal  was  a  perfect  success,  and  we  felt  as  if  we 
had  had  a  banquet. 

The  fourth  day  we  were  in  the  Caribbean  sea, 
and  had  a  little  respite  from  rocking.  It  was  a 
beautiful  day.  The  water  was  smooth  and  of  a 
delicate  sea-green  color ;  flying  fish  and  sea-cranes 
were  all  about  the  vessel,  and  the  peninsula  of 
Yucatan  was  in  sight.  It  is  a  desolate,  uninhab- 
ited shore,  with  the  wreck  of  a  vessel  visible,  and 
an  old  ruined  castle  of  stone,  which  has  been  there 
hundreds  of  years,  but  has  long  been  tenanted  only 
by  sea-birds,  which  flock  there  in  thousands.  We 
passed  one  fishing  vessel,  and  saw  in  the  distance 
a  steamer  with  all  sails  set.  These  were  the  only 
ships  seen  on  the  voyage,  and  Yucatan  was  the 
only  point  of  land. 

After  our  calm  day  we  hoped  for  a  peaceful 
night's  rest,  but  the  wind  blew  a  perfect  hurricane 
all  night,  and  the  steamer  creaked  and  snapped  as  if 
it  were  coming  to  pieces.  Moreover,  the  machinery 
was  out  of  order,  and  frequent  stops  were  made  to 
take  soundings.  This  unpleasant  state  of  affairs  con- 
tinued until  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth  day,  when  we 
were  nearing  Balize,  and  were  in  calmer  waters. 


OUR  INDIAN  PILOT.  I/ 

The  sea  all  about  here  is  full  of  dangerous 
coral  reefs,  and  wrecks,  which  are  very  frequent, 
are  hailed  with  delight  by  the  natives,  who  gladly 
plunder  the  lost  vessel.  As  evening  came  on  we 
saw  many  lights  marking  these  numerous  reefs, 
and  at  10  o'clock  were  opposite  the  "  English 
Key,"  where  an  Indian  pilot  was  to  come  on 
board.  The  captain  whistled,  and  a  small  sail- 
boat appeared  and  came  alongside.  There  were 
two  Indians  in  the  little  boat,  who  seemed  en- 
tirely overcome  by  the  risk  of  their  situation,  and 
shouted  to  each  other  in  most  nervous,  alarmed, 
and  anxious  tones  while  their  boat  was  coming 
into  position  and  the  pilot  was  getting  on  board. 
The  captain  remarked,  "  These  fellows  haven't  a 
bit  of  nerve ;  they  fly  all  to  pieces  at  the  least 
excitement." 

The  pilot  was  a  short,  squat  Carib  Indian,  and 
everything  —  ship,  lives,  and  cargo  —  was  in- 
trusted to  his  hands.  It  was  a  bright  starlight 
night.  Everybody  was  on  deck  and  perfectly 
quiet.  The  Indian,  the  wheelman,  ship's  pilot, 
and  captain,  all  watched  from  the  pilot-house, 
looking  out  upon  the  reefs  toward  the  lights  of 
Balize.  The  silence  was  broken  only  by  the  Ca- 


1 8  ARRIVAL   A  T  BALIZE. 

rib's  orders,  given  every  few  minutes.  The 
steamer  barely  crept  along,  taking  a  crooked  path, 
picking  its  way  among  the  dangerous  reefs.  At 
last,  at  the  end  of  two  hours,  just  at  midnight, 
the  anchor  dropped,  and  the  gun  proclaimed  to 
Balize  that  the  Wanderer  had  come. 


CHAPTER  II. 

BALIZE,  LIVINGSTON,    AND    THE    CARIES. 

THERE  being  no  wharf  at  Balize,  the  steamer 
was  obliged  to  anchor  half  a  mile  out,  and  wait 
for  morning  to  land  passengers,  who  go  ashore 
in  small  sailboats  that  come  out  from  Balize. 
Early  in  the  morning  we  were  awakened  by  a  ba- 
bel of  strange  voices,  in  which  only  frequent  cries 
of  "Alick!"  "Alick!"  could  be  distinguished, 
and,  on  looking  out,  we  found  the  steamer  com- 
pletely thronged  with  negro  boys  on  the  alert 
for  passengers.  "Alick"  was  an  active  colored 
boy  of  some  fifteen  years,  and  seemed  to  be  the 
leader  of  this  numerous  crowd.  He  had  a  good- 
sized  sailboat,  which  he  managed  with  the  help 
of  another  boy,  and  we  engaged  him  to  take  us 
across.  The  water  was  full  of  sharks,  great  ugly 
fellows,  who  completely  surrounded  the  vessel, 
eagerly  snapping  at  the  food  thrown  out  by  the 
steward,  and  furnishing  amusement  for  the  col- 

19 


20  TROTICAL   LUXURIANCE. 

ored  boys,  who  were  trying  to  shoot  them  with 
their  old  muskets.  We  naturally  inquired  into 
the  ferocity  of  these  sharks,  as  we  were  crossing 
in  the  sailboat,  and  were  regaled  with  stories  of 
men  who  had  been  tipped  over  and  immediately 
devoured,  or  only  escaped  by  leaving  behind  an 
arm  or  leg.  But,  besides  sharks,  these  waters 
abound  in  very  fine  fish,  and,  on  inquiring  what 
was  the  best,  "Alick"  replied,  "Wall,  for  my 
eating,  give  me  Jew  fish,"  and  we  found  no  one  to 
dispute  his  taste. 

From  the  sailboat  we  stepped  directly  into  the 
yard  of  the  International  Hotel,  and  into  the 
midst  of  tropical  verdure.  My  father  said  at 
once,  "  How  natural  it  looks,  so  like  the  West 
Indies ! "  But  I  had  never  been  in  the  tropics 
before,  and  could  only  stand  spellbound,  lost  in 
wonder  at  so  new  and  strange  a  scene.  There 
were  most  beautiful  flowers,  cocoanut,  banana, 
bread-fruit  and  mango  trees  everywhere,  but  tur- 
key buzzards,  lizards,  and  spiders,  as  well.  To 
be  sure,  I  had  seen  pictures  of  tropical  plants, 
and  single  specimens  in  hothouses ;  but  that, 
after  all,  gave  me  a  very  slight  idea  of  the  reality, 
and  I  felt  as  if  I  had  suddenly  been  transplanted 


OUR  HOSTELRY.  21 

to  another  world,  and  could  not  realize  that  less 
than  two  weeks  before  I  had  been  in  snowbound 
New  England,  which  was  at  that  moment  still 
wrapt  in  a  mantle  of  snow. 

The  hotel  was  a  quite  large  white  building,  with 
broad  piazzas  on  each  floor,  and  made  very  open, 
so  as  to  catch  all  the  breezes.  The  landlord,  a 
Scotchman,  was4  kind,  obliging,  and  entertaining, 
the  very  embodiment  of  chain-lightning  in  speech 
and  motion,  but  little  can  be  said  in  praise  of  the 
hotel.  The  beds  were  as  hard  as  if  constructed 
entirely  of  the  native  mahogany,  and  the  table 
offered  nothing  but  a  very  pretentious  bill  of  fare, 
with  no  substantial  equivalent.  Still,  one  who 
has  travelled  in  the  tropics  knows  this  to  be  char- 
acteristic, and  refrains  from  complaining.  How- 
ever, one  circumstance  was  rather  trying  —  we 
asked  for  some  lime  lemonade,  and,  because  there 
were  "  no  limes  in  the  hotel,"  actually  had  to  go 
without  it,  when  there  were  bushels  of  limes 
within  a  stone's  throw  almost  to  be  had  for  the 
asking. 

Balize  is  the  capital  of  British  Honduras,  and  a 
very  old  town,  first  settled  in  1670,  but  never 
entirely  free  from  trouble  with  the  Spanish  until 


22  AN  AFTER-DINNER  DRIVE. 

1783.  The  population  is  about  five  thousand,  of 
which  three  hundred  are  whites,  mostly  Scotch, 
and  the  rest  mainly  negroes.  The  climate  is 
warm,  but  considered  healthy,  the  excessive  heat 
being  tempered  by  an  east  wind,  which  blows 
nine  months  out  of  the  year.  It  is  an  important 
depot  of  British  supplies,  having  a  good  position 
on  the  sea,  and  at  the  mouth  of  a  navigable  river, 
and  exports  tropical  fruits,  dyewoods,  sarsaparilla, 
and  mahogany. 

A  drive  of  an  hour  after  dinner  showed  us  the 
whole  place.  The  main  street,  which  has  but  few 
branches,  runs  parallel  with  the  sea,  crossing  the 
river  by  a  bridge  which  is  the  great  meeting-place 
of  the  people,  and  thronged  morning  and  night  by 
crowds  of  men  and  women.  The  better  houses 
are  all  white  wooden  structures,  but  the  negro 
huts  are  often  most  dilapidated,  and  just  ready  to 
tumble  down.  For  a  place  of  its  size,  there  are- 
many  public  buildings,  a  hospital,  poorhouse,  and 
insane-asylum,  supported  by  the  government, 
numerous  schools  and  churches  of  various  denom- 
inations. The  natives  are  very  constant  attend- 
ants at  church.  Just  opposite  the  hotel  was  a 
High  Episcopal  Church,  which  holds  service  three 


AN-  ODD   CEMETERY.  2$ 

times  a  day  nearly  every  clay  in  the  week,  and, 
when  we  were  there,  though  it  was  a  week  day, 
was  filled  to  overflowing  at  its  third  service.  This 
extraordinary  attendance  would  doubtless  be  mod- 
ified somewhat  if  there  were  a  theatre  or  any 
place  of  amusement  there. 

The  cemetery  is  very  odd  looking,  the  dead 
being  buried  in  brick  vaults  above  the  ground, 
from  the  fact  that  Balize  is  below  the  level  of  the 
sea.  Burial  takes  place  immediately  after  death, 
on  account  of  the  heat,  and  a  little  quicklime  is 
put  in  each  coffin,  so  that  everything  soon  disap- 
pears, and  the  vaults  can  be  cleaned  out  every 
seven  years.  The  barracks  are  situated  just  out- 
side the  town,  in  a  rather  pretty  spot  by  the  sea. 
Here  places  are  arranged  for  bathing,  all  fenced  in 
to  keep  out  the  sharks,  which  come  and  stick 
their  heads  through  the  opening  when  one  ven- 
tures to  bathe. 

The  standing  army  consists  of  fifty  men,  all 
negroes  !  They  are  very  proud  to  be  called  "Brit- 
ish subjects,"  and  will  "sell  their  heads"  for  the 
honor  of  that  title. 

The  place  is  well  governed,  and  the  negroes 
are,  for  the  most  part,  quiet  and  peaceable.  The 


24  BL  ^SIXESS-HO  URS. 

laws  are  very  strict  in  regard  to  the  observance  of 
the  Sabbath  and  the  sale  of  liquors.  Licenses 
are  granted,  but  no  saloon  is  open  Sunday,  or 
after  eight  o'clock  at  night.  This  was  the  only 
place  in  all  the  journey,  outside  of  the  United 
States,  where  Sunday  was  observed  at  all. 

On  account  of  the  heat,  nearly  all  business  is 
done  in  the  early  part  of  the  day.  Meals  are  as 
follows:  Coffee  and  bread,  5:30;  breakfast,  9:30; 
dinner,  4:30.  Ladies  seldom  go  out  between 
breakfast  and  dinner.  By  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning  the  market  is  quite  deserted,  as  all  fish 
and  meat  have  to  be  disposed  of  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble. Fish  is  caught  at  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  all  meat  bought  Saturday  for  Sun- 
day has  to  be  parboiled  and  pickled.  The  market 
and  all  stores  are  closed  at  four  in  the  afternoon, 
after  which  no  one  pretends  to  work. 

On  the  whole,  Balize  is  a  rather  pretty  place, 
and  quite  a  centre  of  society  and  fashion,  bearing 
much  the  same  relation  to  this  part  of  the 
country  that  Boston  does  to  New  England. 

The  next  afternoon  we  embarked  once  more, 
and  in  the  morning  were  off  Livingston,  where  we 
gladly  left  the  Wanderer;  although  we  were 


LIVINGSTON.  25 

sorry  to  part  with  the  friends  we  had  made,  and 
felt  very  grateful  to  the  officers  and  crew,  who 
had,  by  every  kindness  and  courtesy,  atoned  in  a 
great  measure  for  the  deficiencies  of  the  steamer, 
and  had  done  all  in  their  power  to  make  the 
voyage  as  pleasant  as  possible. 

Livingston  is  a  port  of  Guatemala,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Rio  Dulce  (sweet  river).  It  is  a  settle- 
ment of  Carib  Indians,  there  being  only  about 
twenty  or  thirty  white  people.  It  has  a  beautiful 
situation,  and  looks  very  pretty  from  the  water. 
The  land  rises  abruptly  from  the  sea,  curving 
in  and  out,  and  is  everywhere  covered  with 
flowering  plants  and  cocoanut  trees.  A  steep 
path  from  the  wharf  leads  up  into  the  town, 
nearly  all  of  which  is  visible  from  the  water,  and 
consists  mainly  of  mud  huts  with  thatched  roofs. 
Here  "The  Boston  Tropical  Fruit  Company"  has 
a  warehouse  and  a  small  steamer ;  their  secretary 
lives  here,  and  their  plantations  are  a  few  miles 
distant.  We  found  it  exceedingly  warm,  and 
cared  to  stay  on  shore  only  a  few  minutes.  The 
American  consul,  to  whom  we  had  letters  of  intro- 
duction, was  ill,  but  we  met  the  secretary  of  the 
Fruit  Company,  a  Boston  gentleman,  and  he  gave 


26  STRANGE  SIGHTS. 

us  valuable  information  about  the  country  which 
we  were  soon  to  penetrate,  and  the  difficulties  of 
travelling  there,  of  which  we  were  continually 
hearing  more  and  more.  Although  we  had  pre- 
pared ourselves  as  well  as  possible  for  the  journey, 
our  equipments  were  still  incomplete,  for  we  were 
told  that  the  country  was  so  uncivilized,  and  the 
people  lived  in  so  primitive  a  manner,  that  in 
parts  of  the  interior  we  should  find  none  of  the 
comforts  and  hardly  the  necessities  of  life,  and 
that  we  must  purchase  hammocks  and  blankets  if 
we  wanted  any  place  to  sleep,  and,  what  seemed 
queerest  of  all,  must  provide  ourselves  with 
knives  and  forks,  in  order  not  to  be  reduced  to 
eating  with  our  fingers. 

While  my  father  was  making  necessary  arrange- 
ments, I  sat  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  looking 
at  the  strange  scene  before  me,  this  Indian  pueblo 
in  the  heart  of  the  tropics,  and  I  could  scarcely 
believe  that  what  I  beheld  was  real,  so  totally 
different  was  it  from  anything  I  had  ever  seen. 
Balize  now  seemed  to  me  almost  like  home,  this 
was  in  comparison  so  much  stranger.  When  I 
looked  at  the  flowers  and  trees,  and  the  beauties 
that  nature  had  so  freely  bestowed  upon  this  spot, 


THE   CARIES.  2/ 

I  wondered  if  I  were  in  fairy-land  ;  but  then  there 
were  no  fairies,  for  the  inhabitants  of  this  land 
dwelt  in  mud  huts  and  were  dark  enough  to  be 
goblins.  I  felt  like  pinching  myself  to  see  if  I 
were  awake  or  dreaming,  and  said  to  myself, 
"Who  am  I?"  "Where  am  I?"  "Can  this  be 
a  part  of  the  same  earth  on  which  I  dwell  ?" 

Every  moment  now  was  bringing  us  to  stranger 
and  stranger  sights,  and  I  wondered  with  some- 
thing of  apprehension  as  to  what  lay  before  us, 
and  how  we  should  fare  when  we  came  to  pene- 
trate into  this  land  and  mingle  with  this  uncivil- 
ized people. 

The  Carib  Indians  that  inhabit  Livingston  are 
a  very  interesting  tribe,  quite  distinct  and  differ- 
ent from  the  other  tribes  of  Central  America,  and 
worthy  of  special  notice.  There  is  some  discus- 
sion as  to  their  origin,  but  they  probably  sprang 
from  the  Arrawaks  of  the  Orinoco,  another  branch 
of  whom,  the  Araucanians,  were  the  ancestors  of 
the  Peruvian  Indians. 

The  Caribs  have  a  legend  in  regard  to  their 
origin  ;  and  this  legend,  told  me  by  a  Hungarian, 
who  himself  gathered  it  from  the  lips  of  one  of 
them,  is  somewhat  as  follows  :  — 


28  CARIB  FOLK-LORE. 

One  of  the  tribes  of  the  Orinoco  lived  near  a 
pond  which  was  greatly  troubled  by  a  water-sprite, 
who  afflicted  the  people  in  various  ways.  There 
was  a  pole  to  mark  the  spot  where  he  dwelt,  and 
it  was  believed  that  if  any  one  touched  this  pole 
he  would  suffer  the  greatest  harm.  But  the  chief 
had  a  beautiful  daughter,  who  was  exceedingly 
bold  and  determined  to  defy  the  sprite's  power. 
Accordingly  she  stole  out  one  dark  night  to  the 
pond,  seized  the  pole  and  gave  it  a  vigorous  shak- 
ing, when,  to  the  surprise  of  the  half-frightened 
maiden,  who  was  expecting  to  see  some  horrid 
monster,  a  beautiful  youth  appeared  and  dispelled 
her  fears  with  words  of  love.  They  were  after- 
wards married,  and  their  sons  were  the  origin  of 
the  Caribs.  These  sons  inherited  the  turbulent 
spirit  of  the  father  and  the  bold  adventurous  spirit 
of  the  mother,  and  soon  migrated  to  the  neigh- 
boring islands,  where  they  killed  the  men  and 
married  the  women.  This  accounts  for  a  fact 
which  has  greatly  puzzled  scientists,  namely, 
that  the  men  and  women,  even  to  this  day, 
speak  a  different  language,  the  men  when  to- 
gether considering  it  a  deep  disgrace  to  use  the 
language  of  the  women ;  and  if  perchance  one 


LEAVES  FROM  CARIB   HISTORY.  2$ 

lets  fall  a  word  of  the  woman's  talk,  he  is  greatly 
jeered  at. 

At  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  America  the  Ca- 
ribs  were  the  most  important  tribe  on  the  coast  of 
South  America,  and  in  the  islands  of  the  Carib- 
bean Sea,  and  were  the  cannibals  that  Columbus 
found  and  described.  In  the  invasion  of  the 
Europeans  they  were  very  fierce  and  aggressive, 
and  offered  such  a  long  and  determined  resis- 
tance that  many  of  them  perished.  At  St.  Vin- 
cent, one  of  their  principal  islands,  a  slave-ship 
was  wrecked,  and  thus  they  became  mingled 
with  negro  blood.  In  1796  they  were  so  trouble- 
some that  the  English  transported  them  to 
Ruatan,  on  the  coast  of  Honduras,  whence  they 
dispersed,  one  of  their  chief  settlements  being 
in  Truxillo  of  Honduras.  Afterward,  when  a 
controversy  arose  as  to  whether  the  civil  or 
priestly  authority  should  be  supreme,  the  Caribs, 
siding  with  Carrera,  the  President  of  Guatemala, 
who  supported  the  civil  party,  ran  away  from 
Truxillo,  and  came  to  Livingston,  where  they 
now  number  about  one  thousand.  They  have 
lost  their  old  fierce  and  warlike  character  and 
are  now  quiet  and  peaceable. 


3°  RA  CE-Q  U A  LI  TIES. 

They  have  an  olive  complexion,  round  heads, 
abundant  black  hair,  usually  straight,  but  some- 
times kinky ;  they  are  short  and  squat,  but 
strongly  built,  muscular  and  very  erect.  It  is 
only  lately  that  they  have  worn  any  clothing,  and 
do  so  now  only  under  compulsion  from  the  govern- 
ment. The  women  are  often  handsome  and  have 
a  queenly  gait ;  they  frequently  do  the  work  while 
the  men  play  the  hero.  The  Caribs  are  specially 
noticeable  for  keeping  themselves  very  distinct, 
and  never  intermarrying  with  other  tribes.  They 
have  very  strong  family  feeling,  which  is  often 
troublesome  to  those  who  are  dependent  upon 
them  for  labor  and  supplies.  For  instance  —  they 
will  not  sell,  at  any  price,  their  market  goods  until 
every  Carib  has  first  been  supplied.  They  always 
work  by  the  task,  and  will  do  a  certain  amount  for 
small  pay  ;  but  when  that  task  is  done,  even  if  it  be 
in  the  morning,  and  they  have  earned  but  five 
cents,  no  amount  of  money  would  tempt  them  to 
do  a  stroke  more. 


CHAPTER   III. 

A    VOYAGE    ON    THE    RIVERS    DULCE    AND    POLOCHIC. 

THE  steamer  on  which  we  embarked  at  Liv- 
ingston was  one  of  an  excellent  line  established 
within  the  last  three  years,  running  up  the  rivers 
Duke  and  Polochic  into  the  interior  of  Central 
America.  The  owners  are  enterprising  men  from 
the  United  States,  who  have  had  great  difficulties 
to  overcome  in  navigating  these  shallow,  swift- 
running  rivers,  formerly  traversed  only  by  Indian 
canoes.  The  first  steamer  launched  on  these  wa- 
ters was  lost.  The  present  one  —  a  very  commo- 
dious steamer,  made  to  draw  only  about  six  feet 
of  water —  was  built  on  the  Pearl  River,  La.,  and 
brought  by  its  adventurous  owners  away  across  the 
Gulf,  reaching  its  haven  only  through  much  risk 
and  danger.  Before  embarking  we  heard  much  of 
the  fine  scenery  before  us,  and  many  on  the  Wan- 
derer had  said,  "  I  do  wish  I  could  take  the  sail  up 
the  river " ;  still  we  had  no  idea  of  the  wonder 
and  beauty  we  were  to  behold. 

31 


32  *  THE   "SWEET  RIVER." 

I  was  much  troubled  at  first  when  I  found  I  was 
to  be  the  only  lady  passenger,  but  the  officers  and 
all  on  board  did  everything  to  make  my  position 
as  pleasant  as  possible. 

We  started  in  the  afternoon  up  the  Rio  Dulce, 
and  an  enchanting  view  lay  before  us  for  several 
hours.  There  has  been  no  surveying  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  so  it  is  impossible  to  give  exact  meas- 
urements, but  for  at  least  ten  miles  the  river  runs 
through  a  canon,  which  is  a  wonderful  curiosity, 
like  our  western  canons,  but  far  more  beautiful, 
because  instead  of  barren  walls  of  rock  is  most 
luxuriant  tropical  verdure.  The  stream  is  very 
narrow  and  the  banks  rise  exactly  perpendicular 
from  the  water  hundreds  of  feet,  covered  with  a 
perfect  tangle  of  tropical  trees,  shrubs,  and  climb- 
ing vines,  making  two  emerald  walls  of  indescrib- 
able loveliness.  Occasionally  a  limestone  rock 
crops  out,  assuming  fantastic  forms,  once  like  an 
old  Spanish  fortification  and  again  forming  "las 
tiendas,"  an  exact  imitation  of  the  stores  of  this 
country,  even  to  the  barred  doors  and  windows, 
which  were  perfectly  represented  by  leafless  vines 
stretching  across  portions  of  the  rock.  The  river 
is  very  winding,  and  every  turn  reveals  new  beau- 


THE   ' '  GOLFETE."         •  33 

ties.  Once  it  makes  a  perfect  elbow,  called  "  The 
Maiden's  Turn,"  and  often  bends  so  sharply  that 
there  is  no  passage  visible.  To  enhance  still 
further  the  enjoyment  of  this  scene,  we  were 
sailing  under  the  blue  sky  of  the  tropics  and  in 
the  midst  of  such  peace  and  quiet  as  are  found  in 
the  haunt  of  nature  only.  The  puffing  of  the 
steamer,  and  our  own  voices  were  the  only  sounds 
to  be  heard,  and  an  occasional  Indian  canoe  glid- 
ing noiselessly  by,  or  the  flight  of  some  startled 
bird,  were  the  only  signs  of  life. 

Leaving  the  canon  the  river  suddenly  broadens 
out  into  the  "  Golfete,"  three  or  four  miles  wide 
and  about  fifteen  miles  long.  Fair  islands  dot 
the  surface,  but  only  one  is  inhabited,  and  there 
are  no  signs  of  habitation  on  the  shores.  On 
either  side  is  a  range  of  mountains,  branches  of 
the  Andes,  and  these  beautiful  and  majestic  forms, 
covered  with  lasting  verdure,  dotted  with  fleecy 
clouds,  like  little  villages,  and  ever  changing  in 
color  and  appearance,  were  from  this  time  until  we 
left  the  country  our  constant  companions,  ever 
growing  nearer  and  nearer,  until  at  last  we  pain- 
fully climbed  on  mule-back  to  their  very  sum- 
mits. 


34  LAKE  IZABAL. 

At  the  end  of  the  "  Golfete  "  begins  Lake  Iza- 
bal,  and  here,  on  a  picturesque  point,  are  a  few 
Indian  huts,  and  the  remains  of  an  old  Spanish 
fort,  "  San  Felipe,"  built  long  ago  to  ward  off  the 
ravages  of  pirates.  There  is  a  farce  of  a  custom- 
house here,  and  we  were  obliged  to  stop  for  a  little 
boat,  containing  three  natives,  to  come  out  and 
examine  the  ship's  papers.  This  assumption  of 
authority  on  the  part  of  such  ignorant  and  unciv- 
ilized beings  seemed  very  laughable,  but  they 
doubtless  thought  in  those  few  instants  of  time 
they  had  exercised  great  power  and  covered  them- 
selves with  glory.  Unused  as  yet  to  the  country 
and  the  natives,  we  foolishly  asked,  "What  do  the 
people  do  here  ?  "  and  the  answer  was,  "  Nothing  ; 
they  lie  in  the  sun  and  dream  away  their  lives." 

Lake  Izabal  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  twelve 
miles  broad  and  thirty-six  miles  long,  one  of  the 
largest  lakes  in  Guatemala.  It  was  calm  and 
peaceful  that  afternoon,  but  the  captain  told  us  it 
was  often  wrought  into  fury  by  winds  from  the 
mountains,  and  became  both  tumultuous  and  dan- 
gerous. 

About  two-thirds  up  the  lake  is  the  pueblo  of 
Izabal,  composed,  of  course,  of  mud  huts,  and 


-EXORBITANT  DUTIES.  35 

having  a  population  of  about  six  hundred.  The 
captain,  a  young  man,  recently  married,  lives  here 
with  his  wife,  and  they  and  a  few  relatives  consti- 
tute the  white  population.  Like  most  of  these 
Indian  villages  it  has  a  beautiful  situation,  for  the 
Indian  is  a  true  lover  of  nature,  and  never  fails  to 
select  the  fairest  spot  he  can  find  for  his  home. 

In  the  time  of  Cortes  it  was  renowned  as  a 
pottery  market  and  is  so  still,  the  Indians  who  go 
on  pilgrimages  to  Esquipulas  coming  here  to  sell 
their  pottery.  It  is  also  one  of  the  chief  ports  of 
Central  America,  and  the  seat  of  the  custom- 
house, Livingston  being  a  free  port.  This  custom- 
house is  conducted  on  very  peculiar  principles,  the 
officers  being  natives,  very  ignorant  and  often 
unreasonable.  Three  of  them,  dark,  barefooted, 
unintelligent  looking  fellows,  came  on  board,  fairly 
grinning  in  their  authority,  enough  to  make  any 
one  rebellious  at  the  thought  of  having  such  men 
go  through  his  baggage.  Duties  are  levied  ac- 
cording to  weight,  which  makes  some  charges 
very  exorbitant.  A  German  in  Guatemala  told  us 
it  cost  him  over  $200  to  get  a  cooking-stove 
through,  an  article  entirely  unknown  in  this  coun- 
try. Powder  and  firearms  are  regarded  with  the 


36  AVCO.VS/ST^.YCy  OF  OFFICIALS. 

greatest  suspicion,  on  account  of  the  frequent 
insurrections,  and  the  duty  on  a  common  pistol  is 
$6.00.  A  young  man  on  board  our  steamer,  a 
native  of  the  country,  just  returning  from  a  visit 
to  the  United  States,  had  to  pay  $22.00  on  a  few 
little  articles,  such  as  pictures  and  ordinary  look- 
ing-glasses, a  great  deal  more  than  they  had  cost 
him.  The  officers  are  also  very  particular  that  the 
goods  correspond  exactly  to  the  written  statement, 
and  if  there  is  the  least  difference  the  whole  is 
confiscated.  A  merchant  in  the  interior  lost  a 
box  of  paint  brushes  because  there  were  four  or 
five  less  in  the  box  than  was  stated  in  the  inven- 
tory. Moreover  these  officers  are  as  inconsistent 
as  they  are  unreasonable,  sometimes  performing 
their  duty  with  the  utmost  rigidity,  and  at  other 
times,  if  they  happen  to. feel  lazy  or  good-natured, 
letting  almost  anything  pass.  This  happened  to 
be  the  case  with  our  baggage,  which  they  did  not 
examine  at  all  ;  luckily  for  us,  perhaps,  for  accord- 
ing to  their  other  caprices  we  should  have  had  to 
pay  about  a  thousand  dollars,  our  equipments  for 
the  journey  into  the  interior  being  extensive. 

We   spent    all   day  Sunday  at    Izabal,  and,    al- 
though it  was  very  warm,  went  on  shore  to  see 


SPANISH  POLITENESS.  37 

the  place,  a  thing  which  was  soon  accomplished. 
In  the  morning  the  fife  and  drum  called  out  the 
whole  town  in  review,  for  every  man  is  a  soldier. 
The  barracks  were  in  the  prettiest  spot,  at  a  little 
rising  in  the  back  of  the  town,  but  the  army,  con- 
sisting of  dark,  ragged,  and  barefooted  men,  was 
far  from  formidable.  The  hotel  was  the  usual 
mud  hut  with  one  room,  but  the  landlord  had  the 
manners  of  a  titled  lord,  and  received  us  with  a 
great  show  of  politeness,  saying,  in  Spanish, 
"  My  house  is  yours,  gentlemen."  That  being 
the  case,  we  thought  we  would  test  his  unbounded 
generosity  with  a  request  for  some  lemonade,  the 
ingredients  of  which  —  limes,  sugar,  and  water  — 
were  almost  as  cheap  there  as  mud.  Four  glasses 
were  duly  prepared,  and  the  landlord  was  pre- 
sented with  a  dollar,  which  he  calmly  pocketed, 
returning  no  change.  Evidently,  if  the  house  was 
ours,  the  lemonade  was  his,  and  we  felt  a  little  dis- 
gusted with  our  first  lesson  in  Spanish  politeness. 
This  is  often  the  effect  on  Americans,  who  fail  to 
appreciate  such  etiquette.  An  amusing  story  is 
told  of  a  Yankee  who  proceeded  to  ride  off  with  a 
very  valuable  horse,  after  the  owner  had  said, 
"  That  horse  is  yours,  sir,"  and  was  only  stopped 


3$  THE  MARIMBA. 

by  greatest  entreaties  on  the  part  of  the  owner, 
who  was  ever  after  very  careful  about  being  polite 
to  Americans. 

That  evening  we  heard  for  the  first  time  the 
national  instrument,  or  "  marimba,"  composed  of 
strips  of  wood  of  different  lengths,  from  which 
hollow  tubes  of  wood  are  suspended,  the  whole 
being  mounted  on  legs  and  played  by  three  men, 
who  strike  it  with  little  sticks.  The  music  is 
very  sweet,  sounding  like  a  stringed  instrument 
with  something  the  depth  of  a  drum.  It  sounded 
exceedingly  beautiful  that  night  as  the  strains 
floated  across  the  lake  to  our  steamer. 

At  Izabal  we  parted  with  some  of  the  passen- 
gers, but  the  most  interesting  remained :  one  of 
the  owners  of  the  line,  who  proved  an  invaluable 
friend  all  the  time  we  were  in  Guatemala ;  an 
elderly  man,  a  Hungarian  by  birth,  who  gave  me 
much  information  about  the  country  ;  the  son  of 
a  Boston  clergyman  ;  and  a  young  "  Guatemalte- 
can,"  who  afterward  proved  of  the  greatest  assist- 
ance to  us  in  our  overland  journey. 

A  sail  of  an  afternoon  brought  us  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Polochic,  and  into  "the  wilds  of  Central 
America."  It  was  a  lonely,  swampy  place,  with 


THE  INDIAN'S  IDEA.  39 

swarms  of  mosquitoes,  myriads  of  green  parrots, 
and  monkeys,  and  baboons,  that  shrieked  and 
howled  as  loud  and  strong  as  so  many  lions. 
Here  we  had  to  change  steamers,  and  wait  for 
morning,  because  it  is  not  possible  to  navigate  the 
Polochic  in  the  night.  The  steamer  to  which  we 
were  to  change  awaited  our  arrival,  guarded  by  a 
single  lone  watchman,  the  only  human  being 
within  fifty  miles.  This  steamer  was  smaller 
than  the  other  one,  but  equally  pretty,  and  was 
made  flat-bottomed,  to  draw  as  little  water  as 
possible.  It  was  the  first  steamer  ever  built  in 
Guatemala,  and  of  course  a  great  wonder  to  the 
Indians,  who  used  to  come  in  crowds  to  see  it. 
A  description  given  by  one  of  them  to  a  com- 
panion may  be  interesting  :  "  It  is  bigger  than 
two  churches  put  together,  and  has  "a  big  kettle  in 
it  always  boiling.  The  man  makes  it  '  toot,  toot,' 
it  wags  its  tail,  and  off  it  goes  faster  than  an 
Indian  can  trot." 

We  started  early  next  morning,  and  had  a  beau- 
tiful sail  all  day.  The  Polochic  proved  to  be  a 
very  curious  river,  a  winding  mountain-stream, 
very  shallow,  full  of  snags  and  ever-changing 
sandbars,  and  with  a  swift  current,  making  it 


40  IN  CROOKED    WAYS. 

very  difficult  of  navigation.  Then,  in  addition,  it 
is  the  most  crooked  stream  in  the  world,  al- 
ways curving,  and  winding,  and  turning  upon 
itself,  sometimes  making  actual  double  bow-knots. 
These  windings  make  it  the  more  interesting,  and 
often  we  were  to  all  appearances  in  a  very  small 
pond,  completely  hemmed  in  by  mountains  before 
and  behind,  with  no  possible  exit  visible.  The 
turns  are  in  many  cases  so  abrupt  that  the 
steamer  actually  touched  the  bank,  and  had  to  be 
pushed  off  by  poles,  the  men  being  all  prepared, 
and  acting  just  at  the  right  moment  to  prevent  its 
getting  aground.  What  is  still  more  remarkable, 
it  is  possible  to  sail  for  an  hour  or  more,  and  make 
only  a  few  feet  real  progress  in  the  onward  direc- 
tion. We  once  looked  through  a  little  bower 
made  by  the  vines,  and  actually  saw  right  beside 
us  a  portion  of  the  river  on  which  we  had  sailed 
an  hour  before.  A  certain  lady,  when  asked  her 
opinion  of  the  Polochic,  replied,  "\Vhen  the 
crooked  ways  are  made  straight,  I  think  there  will 
be  a  great  deal  of  work  to  be  done  on  the  Polo- 
chic." 

The   land    all    about    was    low    and    moist,  and 
teeming  with   vegetable  and   animal   life.     There 


A    WORLD   OF  BEAUTY.  41 

were  many  valuable  woods,  as  mahogany,  and 
many  curious  trees ;  the  "  ceiba,"  distinguished 
among  all  others  by  size  and  appearance,  being  in 
shape  a  mushroom  with  branches  at  right  angles ; 
a  locust  without  branches  to  the  height  of 
seventy  or  eighty  feet ;  and  a  tree  called  "  pa- 
caya,"  bearing  nuts  in  a  cluster,  like  grapes. 
There  was  a  great  profusion  of  vines,  at  least 
twenty  varieties,  many  of  which  were  covered 
with  beautiful  flowers,  filling  the  air  with  fra- 
grance. Some  were  like  our  morning-glory,  but 
open  all  day,  and  of  all  shades  of  color ;  some 
were  trumpet-shaped,  and  of  a  bright  red  color ; 
others  were  like  our  cultivated  arbutulum,  but  far 
larger  and  richer.  The  vines  twined  themselves 
over  every  dead  stump  and  old  tree,  transforming 
them  into  beautiful  bowers,  Corinthian  columns, 
or  arches  of  delicate  green. 

There  were  many  rare  birds  :  cranes,  black  and 
white  ;  the  "  Quaca  Mayor,"  with  a  brilliant  red 
breast ;  a  beautiful  blue  kingfisher,  who  always 
gave  to  his  fellows  the  warning  signal  of  our 
approach  ;  exquisite  humming-birds,  of  which 
there  are  thirty-six  varieties  ;  and  flocks  of  green 
parrots,  flying  through  the  air  with  loud  chatter- 


42  BIRD  AND  BEAST. 

ing.  Monkeys  and  baboons  were  visible  in  the 
trees,  and  on  the  banks  and  sandbars  were  num- 
bers of  hideous  alligators  quietly  sunning  them- 
selves, until  aware  of  our  approach,  when  with 
one  plunge  they  disappeared  in  the  water.  Liz- 
ards of  every  variety  and  color,  including  igu- 
anas, were  abundant.  The  latter  are  loathsome 
looking  creatures,  clothed  in  scales  like  an  alliga- 
tor, with  a  long  tail,  a  pouch  under  the  throat, 
and  spines  along  the  back.  They  are  sometimes 
five  feet  long,  and  of  different  colors,  green, 
yellow,  and  fox-color,  though  usually  hard  to  dis- 
tingijish  from  the  branches  of  the  trees  to  which 
they  cling.  They  live  on  vegetable  food,  the 
mangrove  tree  being  their  favorite,  but  they  have 
a  hole  in  the  ground,  to  which  they  retire  in  the 
wet  season.  The  eggs  and  flesh  are  greatly  prized 
for  food,  the  meat  being  white  and  tender,  and 
much  like  chicken. 

At  4  P.  M.  we  reached  the  head  of  navigation, 
and  the  wretched  Indian  village  of  Panzos,  which 
was  hot,  damp,  and  swarming  with  mosquitoes 
and  sand-flies,  very  tiny  creatures,  whose  bite  is 
far  worse  than  that  of  the  mosquito. 

There  were  only  two  persons  here  who  spoke 


THE  LAND   OF  MANAMA.  43 

English,  the  agent  of  the  line  and  his  wife,  a 
young  couple  who  were  the  picture  of  content- 
ment in  this  miserable  place,  where  several  fami- 
lies before  them  had  been  unable  to  live. 

The  hotel  was  a  mud  hut  of  one  room,  but,  for- 
tunately for  us,  the  steamer  was  obliged  to  wait 
for  a  load  of  coffee  from  the  interior,  and  we  most 
thankfully  accepted  the  captain's  invitation  to 
remain  on  board. 

From  Panzos  we  were  to  start  on  our  trip 
across  the  country  to  Guatemala  City,  and,  having 
previously  learned  that  we  could  not  obtain  even 
a  mule  at  Panzos,  had  taken  the  precaution  to  tel- 
egraph from  Izabal  into  the  interior  for  a  carriage 
if  it  could  be  obtained,  or,  if  not,  for  mules,  and 
we  had  hoped  to  find  them,  with  a  guide,  await- 
ing us.  They  had  not  come,  of  course,  and  with 
a  longer  experience  in  the  country  we  should  not 
have  expected  it,  for  we  were  now  in  the  land  of 
manana  (to-morrow),  and,  whether  patiently  or  im- 
patiently, wait  we  must. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

LIFE    AMONG    THE    INDIANS. 

THE  Indians  with  whom  we  were  now  to  eat, 
sleep,  and  travel,  are  entirely  different  from  those 
of  North  America,  being  a  peaceable,  honest, 
docile,  and  cleanly  race;  not  a  warlike,  but  an 
agricultural  people ;  not  nomadic,  but  living  in 
villages;  not  savage,  but  semi-civilized;  tilling 
the  soil,  weaving  cloth,  making  pottery  and  build- 
ing houses.  They  are  of  a  brown  or  copper 
color,  with  black  hair  and  eyes,  low  foreheads, 
but  without  the  prominent  cheek-bones,  and  with 
kind,  pleasant,  and  often  handsome  faces.  They 
are  noticeably  small,  being  below  medium  height, 
squarely  built,  and  with  small  hands  and  feet. 
They  are  so  honest  and  peaceable  that  Central 
America  is  the  safest  place  in  the  world  in  which 
to  travel,  and  altogether  to  an  American,  with  our 
idea  of  the  Indian  as  a  painted  savage,  they  are 
quite  an  attractive  people.  But  the  poor  things 

44 


BEASTS  OF  BURDEN.  45 

are  the  "  beasts  of  burden  "  of  the  country,  pack 
mules  being  so  rare  that  almost  everything  is 
transported  on  Indian  backs,  the  amount  they 
carry  being  wonderful.  The  burden  is  placed  in 
a  wooden  cage  or  basket,  to  which  a  strap  is  at- 
tached and  passed  around  the  head,  so  that  the 
weight  comes  upon  the  forehead.  In  this  man- 
ner, with  a  weight  of  over  a  hundred  pounds, 
they  trot  off  at  a  queer  but  rapid  pace,  making 
twenty  and  twenty-five  miles  daily,  and  for  this 
arduous  work  they  are  never  paid  more  than  a 
"  real  "  (twelve  and  one-half  cents)  a  day.  Much 
of  the  coffee  is  brought  in  this  way  from  the  in- 
terior down  to  the  ports ;  thousands  of  dollars  are 
entrusted  to  them,  the  merchant  simply  saying, 
"  Your  cargo  is  money,"  and  not  one  dollar  was 
ever  lost  or  stolen. 

One  of  the  most  peculiar  characteristics  of 
the  Indians  is  their  silence  and  stolidity  in  the 
presence  of  the  white  man,  though,  when  not 
aware  of  his  presence,  they  will  talk  and  laugh 
uproariously,  and  are  really  a  very  social  race,  al- 
ways going  in  companies  in  their  travels.  They 
are  very  proud,  and  guard  themselves  most  care- 
fully against  any  expression  of  surprise,  admira- 


4-6  lA'DSAXS  AXD  LADINGS. 

tion,  or  wonder.  We  had  an  excellent  example  of 
this  while  at  Panzos,  in  observing  a  party  of  Ind- 
ians who  had  just  come  down  from  the  country, 
and  had  never  seen  the  steamer  before.  They  all 
came  down  to  the  bank,  and  gazed  at  it  earnestly 
and  carefully  for  at  least  fifteen  minutes,  evi- 
dently "taking  it  all  in,"  but  never  exchanging  a 
word  with  one  another,  or  allowing  their  faces  to 
express  the  slightest  emotion,  though  they  must 
have  been  overwhelmed  with  astonishment  at  so 
strange  and  stupendous  an  object. 

These  Indians  constitute  five  eighths  of  the 
population  of  Guatemala,  the  rest  being  mainly 
"  ladinos,"  of  mixed  Spanish  and  Indian  blood, 
there  being  comparatively  few  descended  directly 
from  the  old  Spaniards  ;  even  President  Barrios 
himself  had  a  dash  of  Indian  blood  in  his  veins. 
The  poorer  classes  of  these  " ladinos"  are  little  if 
any  superior  to  the  Indians,  and  often  lazier  and 
dirtier.  They  always  speak  Spanish,  while  the 
Indians  retain  their  own  language. 

On  the  evening  of  the  second  day  in  Panzos  we 
were  rejoiced  to  hear  that  the  carriage  had  come, 
and  walked  up  the  road  to  inspect  it.  It  was  the 
only  carriage  between  here  and  Guatemala,  a  dis- 


TRAVELLING   IN  STYLE  47 

tance  of  over  two  hundred  miles,  and  had  formerly 
been  used  on  the  Pacific  side,  until  the  railroad 
drove  its  owner  with  his  coffee  wagons  and  mules 
into  the  interior.  This  carriage  had  to  be  taken  all 
to  pieces  and  transported  on  Indians'  backs  across 
the  mountains,  a  distance  of  over  a  hundred  miles, 
whence  the  road  was  wide  enough  for  it  to  be  used. 
It  was  a  large,  strong,  two-seated,  covered  vehicle, 
resembling  a  beach  wagon,  but  furnished  with  a 
strong  iron  brake  for  the  mountains,  and  com- 
pletely covered  with  mud  inside  and  out  ;  never- 
theless, the  captain  assured  us  that  in  this  "turn- 
out" we  should  be  travelling  "in  style."  It  was 
drawn  by  two  stout  mules,  and  the  driver  was  a 
young  "ladino,"  a  happy-go-lucky,  rather  capable 
fellow,  wearing  clothes  of  an  odd  coarse  cloth, 
with  a  bright  red  scarf  about  his  waist,  which  gave 
him  rather  a  jaunty  appearance. 

We  arranged  with  him  to  start  at  five  o'clock 
sharp  in  the  morning,  so  as  to  avoid  travelling  in 
the  heat  of  the  day,  and  I  fought  mosquitoes  more 
cheerfully  that  night  than  usual,  because  it  was 
the  last.  Next  morning  we  were  ready  at  the 
appointed  time,  but  six  o'clock  came  and  seven, 
still  no  carriage  appeared.  Finally,  about  eight 


4  A   REFRACl^ORY  MULE. 

the  boy  drove  up ;  not  at  all  abashed  by  his  tardi- 
ness, for,  like  the  rest  of  the  people  in  this  coun- 
try, he  was  probably  never  "  on  time  "  in  his  life, 
and  never  expected  to  be.  On  being  questioned, 
he  said  "  Dolly "  (one  of  the  mules)  got  away  in 
the  night,  and  he  had  been  hunting  for  her  several 
hours.  It  was  no  use  scolding,  and  we  started  off 
as  cheerfully  as  possible,  but  we  had  not  gone  two 
rods  before  we  stopped,  and  the  boy  got  out  and 
began  to  tie  up  a  broken  whiffletree,  which  from 
all  appearance  had  been  half-broken  several  days, 
but  which  he  would  never  have  thought  of  mend- 
ing until  we  got  started  and  it  gave  out  entirely, 
even  if  he  had  been  in  Panzos  a  week  with  noth- 
ing else  to  do. 

Very  soon  I  ventured  to  address  a  few  words  in 
Spanish  to  the  driver,  for  I  knew  the  time  had 
come  when  I  must  do  all  the  talking,  and  we 
should  be  in  a  sorry  plight  if  I  failed.  To  my  joy, 
he  understood  me,  and  I  understood  his  answer. 
He  did  not  speak  a  very  clear  or  grammatical 
Spanish  ;  and  if  mine  sounded  odd  to  him  he  was 
too  polite  to  betray  it  by  the  slightest  expression, 
and  treated  my  attempt  as  if  he  thought  I  had 
spoken  Spanish  all  my  life.  After  a  few  hours  we 


A    TERRIBLE  ROAD.  49 

got  accustomed  to  each  other  so  we  could  talk 
very  well:  I  could  ask  all  that  was  necessary;  and 
if  at  any  time  I  did  not  understand,  he  would  take 
the  greatest  pains  to  explain  to  me  until  I  did. 

In  a  short  time  we  were  out  of  Panzos  and 
jouncing  up  and  down  over  a  terrible  road.  It 
was  considered  to  be  in  a  pretty  good  condition, 
as  this  was  the  dry  season  ;  but  the  worst  Ameri- 
can country  road,  in  the  spring,  multiplied  by 
one  hundred,  would  be  only  an  approximation  to 
this  road  that  first  day.  There  were  great  mud- 
holes  into  which  one  wheel  would  disappear 
entirely,  while  the  other  was  elevated  several  feet 
in  the  air,  and  as  a  consequence  one  of  us  was 
almost  landed  on  the  ground  while  the  other  sav- 
agely grasped  the  side  of  the  carriage,  and  tried 
to  hang  suspended  from  above.  Considering  that 
one  of  us  weighed  260  pounds  and  the  other  only 
140,  the  seriousness  of  the  situation  when  the 
"fat  man's  "  side  tipped  up  may  be  fully  appreci- 
ated. What  prevented  the  wagon  from  tipping 
over  is  a  mystery,  but  the  boy  assured  us  it  could 
not  upset;  and  there  must  have  been  something 
in  the  construction  which  rendered  it  a  physical 
impossibility,  for  there  was  every  opportunity  for 


5°  SPANISH  JARGON. 

performing  this  feat.  Many  times  we  got  out  and 
walked  ;  many  times  we  were  stuck  in  bogs  where 
it  seemed  as  if  we  could  not  possibly  advance ; 
but  the  mules  were  brave  and  stout ;  and  summon- 
ing all  their  energies,  would  draw  us  out  safely 
and  neatly,  where  four  horses  would  have  failed 
utterly.  "  Cassimir,"  the  driver,  did  his  part  well, 
and  worked  nearly  as  hard  as  the  mules,  shouting 
and  urging  them  on.  His  Spanish  jargon  so 
amused  us  that  we  sat  and  laughed  even  in  the 
most  perilous  places.  It  was  something  after  this 
fashion,  as  near  as  it  can  be  reproduced:  "  Hyba 
MM  la,  Jiyba  soldar,  Jiyba  colleela,  Jiyba  !  "  When 
very  much  excited  and  in  a  most  difficult  spot,  he 
would  stand  up,  use  the  whip  vigorously,  and 
shout  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Hydja,  cerca,  soldar 
holda  collcda  !  "  which,  with  the  addition  of  much 
crowing  and  screaming,  and  calling  of  "  Dolly"  and 
"Selosa"  (the  names  of  the  mules),  was  exceed- 
ingly funny,  and  diverted  us  for  several  days. 

\Ve  reached  our  first  stopping-place,  excepting 
mud-holes,  about  noon  —  a  place  called  "  Teleman," 
which  consisted  of  a  few  mud  huts.  As  we  drove 
up,  the  young  "  Guatemaltecan  "  who  had  been 
with  us  on  the  steamer  came  out  to  meet  us  with 


A    VALUED  FRIEND.  51 

his  hands  full  of  fruit,  and  his  "sweet  oranges"  in 
English  was  a  welcome  sound.  As  he  proved  to 
be  an  invaluable  friend  to  us  in  the  journey,  and 
as  he  illustrates  the  character  of  the  best  class 
among  the  natives,  he  is  worthy  of  special  notice. 
He  was  a  youth  of  twenty-one  or  two,  of  medium 
height  and  slender,  with  the  usual  complexion  of 
the  country,  very  black  hair  and  eyes,  and  a  very 
dark  skin,  but  was,  on  the  whole,  rather  fine  look- 
ing. He  bore  a  Spanish  name,  and  his  dress  and 
manners  were  those  of  a  polished  gentleman.  He 
belonged  to  one  of  the  first  families,  his  father 
being  secretary  to  the  "jefe"  (Governor)  of  one 
of  the  principal  districts  of  Guatemala.  He  had 
been  in  the  United  States  three  months,  where  he 
had  learned  a  little  English,  and  was  now  return- 
ing home  to  one  of  the  interior  towns,  having  had 
to  wait  in  Panzos  for  his  own  horse  to  be  sent  him. 
He  had  travelled  with  us  all  the  way  from  New 
Orleans,  but  we  had  spoken  with  him  only  once  or 
twice,  as  he  knew  but  little  English  and  was  very 
bashful  and  retiring,  so  that  we  were  surprised  as 
well  as  much  pleased  when  he  awaited  us  here  and 
signified  his  purpose  to  accompany  us,  and  serve 
us  in  our  journey. 


$2  NEW  DIFFICULTIES. 

After  a  short  rest  at  Teleman  we  went  on  again, 
in  the  same  see-saw  fashion,  the  young  man  going  in 
advance  to  have  dinner  ready  for  us  when  we  should 
arrive  at  the  next  place,  we  having  so  far  subsisted 
on  a  lunch  from  the  steamer.  All  the  time  we 
were  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  tropical  growth, 
but  our  unexpected  and  intermittent  risings  and 
fallings  rather  interfered  with  our  enjoyment  of  the 
scenery.  In  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon 
we  came  upon  a  great  tree  lying  right  across  the 
road ;  and  at  the  sight  our  hearts  sank  within 
us,  for  the  road  all  the  way  had  been  narrow,  with 
an  embankment  on  one  side  and  thick  woods 
on  the  other,  so  we  thought  we  were  completely 
blockaded  twenty  miles  from  a  hut  or  Indian. 
Under  these  trying  circumstances  what  did  that 
driver  do  but  sit  back  in  the  wagon  and  laugh  as 
hard  as  he  could.  Not  being  of  his  careless  dis- 
position, and  failing  to  see  any  joke  about  it, 
we  hastily  made  investigations,  and  to  our  own 
surprise  found  a  path  at  the  side  of  the  road, 
among  the  trees,  through  which  the  carriage  was 
just  able  to  pass  ;  and  fortunate  enough  it  was,  for 
there  was  not  another  spot  for  miles  where  this 
would  have  been  possible. 


IN  THE  "CABILDO."  53 

Without  further  mishaps  we  reached  "  La 
Tinta,"  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and 
found  a  wretched  place,  one  of  the  worst  of  these 
miserable  Indian  towns,  without  even  the  usual 
mud  hotel  of  one  room.  Arriving  there  in  the 
dark,  in  a  place  so  unknown,  amidst  a  strange 
people,  with  peculiar  customs  and  a  foreign  lan- 
guage, we  felt  when  we  got  out  of  the  carriage 
like  two  lost  and  bewildered  waifs,  knowing  not 
what  to  do  or  which  way  to  turn.  But  our  young 
friend  soon  appeared  and  relieved  us  of  further 
anxiety.  He  led  the  way  to  the  "  cabildo,"  a 
government  building  found  in  every  town,  a  free 
stopping-place  for  all  the  Indians  travelling  with 
burdens.  It  corresponds  somewhat  to  our  City 
Hall,  and  is  the  headquarters  of  the  "  coman- 
dante,"  a  government  official  who  has  all  the 
Indians  under  his  control.  This  building  was  of 
mud,  but  whitewashed,  and  consisted  of  one  room, 
with  the  ground  for  a  floor.  There  was  a  bench 
running  around  the  room,  a  large  rough  wooden 
table,  on  which  a  candle  was  burning,  and  this  was 
all.  We  learned  in  a  few  minutes  the  force  of  the 
oft -repeated  Spanish  phrase,  "no  hay"  (there  is 
none),  for  in  the  whole  village  there  was  not  a  bed, 


54  FRUGAL   FARE. 

or  any  article  of  furniture,  no  knives  and  forks, 
and  hardly  a  dish  in  which  to  eat,  not  a  basin  of 
water  to  bathe  our  faces,  in  fact  none  of  what  we 
considered  the  necessaries  of  life  ;  and,  worse  than 
all,  no  English  language.  What  we  should  have 
done  here  without  our  Spanish  friend  I  am  sure  I 
do  not  know.  Our  driver  was  perfectly  careless  of 
us  and  concerned  only  for  his  mules.  At  that 
time  of  night  no  one  would  have  given  us  any- 
thing to  eat,  we  should  not  have  known  where  to 
go  or  what  to  do,  and  certainly  should  have  had  a 
most  wretched  experience  had  it  not  been  for  this 
young  man's  kindness.  In  that  miserable  mud 
hut  he  seemed  like  a  prince,  and  his  words  of 
Spanish  like  so  much  magic  as  he  gave  orders  to 
one  after  another,  who  hastened  to  do  his  bidding. 
In  a  short  time  he  had  dinner  before  us,  having 
procured  fried  eggs,  "frijoles,"  "tortillas,"  and 
coffee,  from  a  neighboring  house,  and  dishes, 
knives  and  forks,  and  some  eatables  from  his  own 
trunk.  "Frijoles,"  "tortillas,"  and  "cafe"  con- 
stitute the  living  of  the  Indians,  as  they  never 
have  meat  except  on  feast  days.  The  frijoles  are 
stewed  black  beans,  and  taste  very  much  like  "Bos- 
ton baked  beans";  the  "tortillas"  are  a  coarse 


PRIMITIVE   COUCHES.  55 

cake  of  the  simplest  kind.  They  are  made  from 
corn  which  is  ground  between  two  stones,  just  as 
it  was  in  Egypt  in  the  time  of  the  Israelites.  The 
corn  is  then  moistened  and  patted  between  the 
hands  until  a  round  flat  cake  is  formed,  which  is 
baked  on  a  thin  sheet  of  iron  over  a  charcoal  fire. 
These  articles  of  food  we  had  every  day  for  ten 
days  while  we  were  travelling  to  Guatemala  City, 
and  it  was  exceedingly  fortunate  that  we  were  not 
Epicureans. 

After  dinner,  as  there  was  nothing  to  induce  us 
to  sit  up  but  a  flickering  tallow  candle,  we  swung 
our  hammocks  for  the  night.  The  "  Indians," 
who  were  carrying  the  young  man's  baggage,  and 
of  whom  there  were  several,  had  already  spread 
their  "  petates  "  (straw  mats)  on  the  ground,  and 
were  asleep  just  outside  the  door.  Our  driver  had 
spread  a  little  piece  of  blanket  right  in  the  dirt  in 
the  middle  of  the  road,  and  was 'also  asleep  near 
the  carriage,  to  which  the  mules  were  tied.  Al- 
most completely  exhausted  as  we  were  by  our  long 
ride  over  such  a  road,  our  hammocks  did  not  seem 
like  very  downy  couches,  but  we  slept  until  about 
five  o'clock,  when  the  Indians  roused  us  preparing 
for  their  day's  tramp.  We  were  anxious,  too,  to 


56  THE  NATIVE  BEVERAGE. 

start,  but  the  boy  and  one  mule  were  missing  and 
did  not  appear  until  between  seven  and  eight 
o'clock,  when  he  came  leading  the  refractory 
"  Dolly,"  saying  he  had  been  hunting  for  her 
since  three  o'clock.  Thereupon  it  was  immedi- 
ately determined  to  end  "  Dolly's  "  nightly  excur- 
sions if  possible,  and  two  stout  lassos  were 
obtained  and  given  to  the  boy,  and  after  that  we 
had  no  more  trouble  of  this  sort.  At  last  the 
mules  were  harnessed,  but  the  boy  still  lingered ; 
and,  when  asked  the  reason,  said  he  "  had  not 
taken  his  coffee,"  and  we  saw  by  his  whole  atti- 
tude that  our  journey  would  not  begin  until  after 
that  important  event.  Everybody  here  invariably 
begins  his  day  with  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  the  man- 
ner of  preparation  is  both  peculiar  and  interest- 
ing. The  coffee  is  burned  over  a  charcoal  fire 
until  black  and  bitter,  then  it  is  ground  and  put 
with  water  until  the  whole  strength  is  extracted, 
and  a  strong,  black  tincture  of  coffee  is  the  result. 
Enough  is  made  to  last  a  week  and  it  is  put  on 
the  table  every  meal,  either  cold  in  a  bottle,  or 
sometimes  heated  and  brought  on  in  a  pot.  Only 
a  little  is  poured  into  the  cup,  which  is  then  filled 
up  with  hot  water,  and  there  is  no  milk,  and  rarely 


A   FAIRY'S  BOWER.  57 

sugar,  except  in  the  larger  towns.  At  first  it 
tasted  very  bitter,  and  we  had  difficulty  in  drink- 
ing it  at  all,  but  after  a  while  got  accustomed  to  it 
and  drank  it  freely  three  times  a  day,  as  everybody 
does  here.  Indeed,  in  the  malarial  districts  it  is 
said  to  be  most  excellent,  acting  like  a  tonic,  with 
almost  the  efficacy  of  quinine  and  none  of  its 
bad  effects. 

The  second  day  the  road  was  in  a  better  condi- 
tion, though  gradually  ascending.  At  noon  we 
stopped  to  rest  at  a  most  charming  spot,  beauti- 
ful enough  for  a  fairy's  bower.  The  scene  is  one 
of  the  loveliest  among  the  many  pictures  which 
often  rise  before  my  mind.  On  one  side  was  a 
steep  embankment,  at  the  foot  of  which  a  moun- 
tain torrent  roared  and  foamed  over  the  stones  ; 
on  the  other  was  a  wide  opening  in  the  green  hill- 
side, through  which  trickled  a  little  stream,  whose 
banks  were  covered  with  most  beautiful  flowers, 
delicate  mosses  and  ferns.  By  the  stream  an 
Indian  and  his  wife  and  baby  were  sitting,  making 
a  picturesque  group  in  their  bright  colored  cos- 
tumes. They  evidently  regarded  us  with  much 
interest,  not  unmixed  with  admiration  ;  and,  when 
my  father  patted  the  baby  on  the  cheek  and 


5  TUCURU. 

put  a  piece  of  money  into  its  hand,  seemed  as 
delighted  as  the  child,  which  crowed  in  great  glee. 
We  stopped  here  only  long  enough  to  rest,  al- 
though I  would  gladly  have  lingered,  and  rose 
very  reluctantly  when  Cassimir,  having  finished 
his  nap,  signed  to  us  to  resume  our  ride.  At 
night  we  arrived  at  a  small  Indian  town,  "  Tu- 
curu,"  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and 
stopped  at  a  mud  hut,  the  best  in  the  town,  and 
the  place  where  travellers  usually  stop.  The  wo- 
man of  the  house  was  an  ugly,  rude,  disagreeable 
creature,  who  was  smoking  a  large  cigar  and  spit- 
ting on  the  floor.  But  there  were  several  pleas- 
ant-looking girls,  and  one  man  who  was  quite 
agreeable,  and  who,  we  found  out  afterward,  was 
only  staying  there  for  a  short  time,  and  was 
"very  rich"  for  this  country.  We  had  a  better 
dinner  here  than  usual,  there  being  some  fowl  in 
addition  to  the  other  fare,  and  we  also  had  cot 
beds  for  the  night,  though  we  all  slept  in  the  same 
room  with  the  family. 

The  cots  which  were  furnished  us  here,  and 
which  we  were  able  to  obtain  in  most  of  the  towns 
(although  often  there  were  not  more  than  three  in 
a  whole  village),  we  found  preferable  to  hammocks. 


FIXE  SCENERY.  59 

They  were  most  simple  in  construction,  consisting 
merely  of  a  rude  wooden  frame  with  strips  of  raw- 
hide tacked  across,  and  covered  with  a  straw  mat, 
which  was  the  only  bedding.  We  had  to  furnish 
our  own  blankets  for  covering,  and  for  a  pillow 
used  either  a  handbag  or  coat  or  shawl,  though 
usually  the  nights  were  so  chilly  that  we  needed 
all  our  wraps  to  keep  us  comfortable.  Of  course, 
on  such  hard  beds,  obliged  to  sleep  in  all  our 
clothing,  we  could  get  very  little  rest,  but  we 
were  always  so  completely  exhausted  at  the 
end  of  a  day's  ride  that  we  could  have  slept 
on  a  stone. 

The  third  day  the  road  was  still  ascending,  and 
often  so  steep  as  to  be  almost  frightful,  but  com- 
manding fine  views,  for  we  were  winding  in  and 
out  among  the  mountains,  and  were  sometimes  on 
the  brink  of  a  steep  precipice  at  the  foot  of  which 
a  little  mountain-stream  ran,  or  could  look  down 
hundreds  of  feet  and  see  below  us  the  road  on 
which  we  had  come,  while  there  were  still  heights 
above  to  climb.  All  the  way  was  bordered  by 
tropical  trees  and  flowers,  such  as  grow  in  our  hot- 
houses, and  we  had  frequent  glimpses  of  tiny 
waterfalls  and  cascades,  and  rockeries  covered 


6O  A   SHOWER   OF  QUESTIONS. 

with    delicate    mosses    and  ferns,   more    beautiful 
than  any  garden  in  America  can  furnish. 

We  made  our  first  stop  at  noon,  at  Tamaju,  five 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea ;  the  usual  Indian 
town,  somewhat  larger  than  we  had  been  in  before, 
and  the  first  to  boast  of  a  church.  Cassimir  then 
informed  us,  much  to  our  astonishment,  that  we 
could  go  no  further  that  day,  for  the  mules  were 
very  tired,  in  fact  Selosa  was  nearly  exhausted, 
and  before  us  was  a  great  mountain,  higher  than 
any  we  had  yet  climbed.  At  the  announcement 
the  usual  shower  of  questions  which  attended 
every  arrival  and  departure,  and  in  fact  was  kept 
up  at  intervals  throughout  the  whole  day,  I  was 
obliged  to  interpret  for  my  father,  until  I  was 
nearly  worn  out.  "  What's  the  name  of  the  next 
place?"  "How  far  is  it?"  "How  long  will  it 
take  to  get  there  ? "  "  What  kind  of  a  place  is 
it  ?  "  "Are  there  any  beds  ?  "  "  Is  the  road  bad  ? " 
"  Can't  we  go  a  little  farther  ?  "  But  urging  and 
questioning  were  vain,  the  boy  was  firm,  and  we 
had  learned  from  experience  to  trust  to  his  judg- 
ment. One  curious  thing  was  observable,  he 
never  could  tell  the  distance  of  one  place  from 
another,  always  in  his  answer  using  the  words 


OCCUPYING   A  JAIL.  6 1 

"  tal  vez  "  (perhaps),  and  evidently  guessing  the  dis- 
tance, sometimes  very  wildly,  but  he  could  always 
tell,  almost  to  a  minute,  when  we  would  arrive  at 
a  given  place,  and  was  very  proud  of  this  accom- 
plishment. 

We  found  in  the  comandante  of  this  place  a 
real  gentleman,  who  received  us  very  cordially, 
and  began  at  once  to  make  arrangements  for  our 
comfort,  sending  word  to  his  home,  near  by,  for  his 
wife  to  prepare  breakfast,  and  having  cot  beds 
brought  into  the  cabildo  for  us.  It  happened,  as 
is  the  case  in  towns  of  any  size,  that  the  cabildo 
consisted  of  two  rooms,  one  being  a  jail,  and,  as 
this  was  empty,  he  politely  placed  it  at  our  disposal, 
leaving  us  a  little  in  doubt  at  first  whether  to  feel 
like  tramps  or  honored  guests  with  a  spare  room. 

Our  breakfast  was  ready  sooner  than  usual,  for 
the  senora  had  numbers  of  Indian  girls  for  ser- 
vants, all  of  whom  she  set  at  work,  and  we  had, 
comparatively  speaking,  a  good  meal,  for  there 
are  degrees  of  difference  in  tortillas,  frijoles,  and 
fried  eggs,  and  besides  we  had  the  addition  of 
some  meat,  which,  however,  was  so  tough  that  we 
preferred  to  consider  it  rather  for  ornament  than 
use.  We  were  waited  on  by  young  Indian  maid- 


62  OUR   FRIEXD  LEAVES   US. 

ens,  who  stole  noiselessly  in  and  out  like  so  many 
dusky  phantoms,  but  ministered  to  all  our  wants 
with  ease  and  grace. 

After  dinner,  in  about  five  minutes,  we  saw  the 
whole  town  and  paid  a  visit  to  the  church  —  like 
all  in  the  country,  a  very  pretty  building  exter- 
nally, but  containing  hideous,  repulsive  images, 
and  adorned  with  tinsel  and  gewgaws,  so  as  to  be 
scarcely  recognized  as  anvthing  but  a  pagan 
church.  There  was  evidence  of  devotion,  how- 
ever, in  the  beautiful  offerings  of  fresh  flowers 
before  many  of  the  images. 

Then  our  friend  left  us,  for  we  were  now  well 
able  to  care  for  ourselves,  and  there  was  no  need 
for  him  to  delay  longer  his  journey.  To  him  we 
shall  always  feel  the  deepest  gratitude,  for  he  had 
rendered  us  most  valuable  service  in  a  most  grace- 
ful and  modest  manner,  completely  disarming  us 
of  all  prejudices,  and  changing  entirely  our  concep- 
tions of  the  Spanish  character.  His  whole  bearing 
throughout  was  most  admirable.  Xo  American, 
however  polished  a  society  gentleman  he  might 
be,  could  have  acted  in  the  same  capacity  under 
similar  circumstances  without  making  himself  a 
"  bore." 


SPANISH  TACT.  63 

The  quickness  of  perception  and  amount  of 
tact  that  the  Spanish  possess  is  truly  wonderful, 
and  Emilio  Carranza  furnishes  a  good  illustration. 
He  understood  perfectly  the  situation,  exactly 
how  the  country  would  impress  us,  and  what  diffi- 
culties it  would  present  ;  and,  without  making 
himself  in  the  least  obtrusive  or  disagreeable,  re- 
moved all  our  care  and  responsibility,  and  took 
entire  charge  of  us  without  seeming  to  at  all.  He 
invariably  appeared  (sometimes  as  if  from  the 
clouds)  at  the  very  moment  when  we  needed  him 
most,  did  exactly  the  right  thing,  and  then,  without 
allowing  us  to  thank  him,  as  gracefully  withdrew, 
being  careful  never  to  intrude,  and  only  desirous 
of  showing,  in  the  best  possible  way,  the  greatest 
politeness  and  kindness  to  strangers  in  a  strange 
land. 

All  that  was  left  us  with  which  to  beguile  the 
long  afternoon  was  to  watch  the  Indians,  a  great 
crowd  of  whom  was  gathered  about  the  cabildo. 
Their  costumes,  like  that  of  all  the  Indians 
throughout  the  country,  was  very  picturesque. 
The  women's  dress  consists  of  a  full  plaid  skirt 
and  a  loose,  sleeveless  waist,  embroidered,  often 
elaborately,  with  the  colors  of  the  tribe.  The 


64  DRESS  OF   THE  NATIVES. 

hair,  which  is  long,  black,  and  often  beautiful,  is 
sometimes  left  flowing,  but  usually  wound  with  a 
red  woollen  roll.  They  are  always  barefooted, 
and  wear  no  jewelry  except  a  necklace  of  beads 
and  money  —  their  necklace  being  their  bank. 
The  dress  of  the  men  consists  of  a  loose  jacket 
and  trousers  of  a  stout  cloth,  always  white,  and, 
what  is  remarkable,*always  clean.  We  never  saw 
a  dirty  Indian,  and  seldom  a  ragged  one.  When 
carrying  burdens  they  wear  sandals  of  leather,  and 
wide  hats,  and  remove  their  jackets,  and  roll  up 
their  trousers,  so  as  to  be  as  nearly  naked  as  pos- 
sible. They  never  wear  war-paint  or  feathers, 
and  the  only  indication  of  savageness  is  the  long, 
cruel-looking  "  machete,"  which  they  always  carry, 
and  which  is  as  essential  to  them  as  a  jack-knife 
to  us,  for  the  woocls  are  so  dense  with  vines  and 
shrubs  that  they  cannot  penetrate  into  them  a 
foot  without  cutting  their  way  with  these  long 
knives. 

About  the  cabildo  was  a  crowd  of  bright  boys, 
evidently  curious  to  see  us,  but  a  little  afraid. 
They  would  approach  in  a  body  as  near  as  they 
dared,  and  then  with  a  laugh  and  shout  disappear 
around  the  corner  of  the  building.  We  offered 


"ALL  RIGHT."  6$ 

them  all  the  encouragement  possible,  and  each 
time  they  ventured  nearer  until  their  curiosity 
was  finally  satisfied.  This  merely  illustrates  with 
what  interest  we  were  everywhere  regarded. 
Always  on  arriving  at  a  place  the  driver  was 
questioned  long  and  earnestly  in  regard  to  us,  and 
his  air  of  pride  and  ownership  in  us  was  very 
amusing. 

The  people  were  anxious  to  converse,  always 
showing  disappointment  when  they  found  one  of 
us  could  not  speak  Spanish.  They  recognized  us 
immediately  as  Americans,  and  expressed  the 
greatest  admiration  for  the  United  States,  and 
a  desire  to  speak  English.  Our  driver  learned  to 
say  "all  right"  with  perfect  understanding  of  its 
meaning,  and  was  so  proud  of  it  that  he  con- 
stantly displayed  this  knowledge  before  the  Ind- 
ians, telling  them  he  could  speak  English,  with 
such  an  air  as  to  make  them  believe  he  knew  the 
whole  English  language. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  which  was  directly  after 
sunset,  for  there  is  no  twilight  in  the  tropics,  we 
repaired  to  the  jail  to  pass  the  night ;  but  sleep 
was  long  in  coming,  for  a  great  crowd  of  Indians 
just  outside  the  door  were  talking  fast  and  loud  in 


66  A    QUEER  HUBBUB. 

their  queer  guttural  language.  Although  we  had 
now  been  living  with  the  Indians  three  days,  and 
the  fear  I  first  felt  (for  I  had  fear  at  first)  had 
almost  entirely  vanished  by  seeing  every  day  their 
kindly  faces,  still  I  must  confess  to  a  great  deal 
of  nervousness  this  night  there  in  that  lonely  hut 
completely  Surrounded  by  Indians.  The  coman- 
dante  was  in  his  house,  some  distance  off,  our 
driver  asleep  on  the  ground  somewhere,  we  knew 
not  where,  and  Emilio  Carranza,  hitherto  our 
protector,  miles  away.  It  was  really  startling  to 
hear  these  Indians,  usually  so  silent,  talking  so 
loudly  and  earnestly,  and  I  became  so  frightened 
that  I  half  believed  they  were  plotting  against  our 
lives,  and  lay  there  trembling,  expecting  every 
moment  to  see  the  door  burst  open  and  the  Ind- 
ians rush  in  upon  us.  I  spoke  to  my  father,  but  I 
did  not  tell  him  I  was  afraid.  Oh  no !  I  would 
not  confess  my  weakness  !  But  he  confessed  to  a 
nervousness  of  quite  a  different  sort,  and  declared 
he  was  all  out  of  patience  with  such  a  noise. 
Just  then  there  came  a  fresh  arrival,  and  a  new 
voice  struck  up  in  a  sharp  falsetto  key  which  ban- 
ished all  hope  of  sleep,  and  so  exhausted  my 
father's  patience  that  he  called  out  the  forcible 


INDIAN  MUSIC.  67 

English  "  Shut  up  !  "  in  stentorian  tones.  Imme- 
diately all  was  silence,  every  voice  was  hushed, 
and  the  talkers  vanished  as  if  into  thin  air,  with- 
out the  sound  even  of  a  footstep.  I  rose  from  my 
cot  and  looked  out  of  the  window.  The  moon 
was  shining  brightly;  not  an  Indian  was  in  sight  ; 
the  quietness  and  peacefulness  of  the  night 
soothed  my  spirit,  and  I  felt  how  foolish  my  fears 
had  been. 

But  even  now  we  could  not  sleep,  for  then  there 
came  stealing  upon  the  stillness  the  sounds  of  the 
marimba,  sweet  and  monotonous,  but  not  soporific, 
the  same  strain  repeated  over  and  over.  It  was  a 
feast  day,  and  the  Indians  were  having  a  dance 
somewhere  in  the  village,  and  played  this  one 
tune  without  an  instant's  cessation  for  hours  and 
.hours.  Finally,  about  midnight,  the  sounds  died 
away,  and  we  slept. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A    WEEK    IN  AN    INDIAN    VILLAGE. 

OUR  loss  of  half  a  day  at  Tamaju  on  account  of 
the  fatigue  of  the  mules  was  very  discouraging, 
for  we  had  planned  to  reach  in  four  days  the  vil- 
lage of  Coban,  one  of  the  largest  interior  towns, 
where  there  was  a  hotel,  and,  we  hoped,  some  op- 
portunity for  rest  and  comfort.  It  was  also  the 
end  of  the  carriage  road,  and  there  we  should 
have  to  change  our  mode  of  travelling,  hiring 
mules  for  riding,  and  Indians,  or  "  mozos,"  as  they 
are  always  called,  to  carry  our  baggage.  Our 
driver  gave  us  little  encouragement  as  to  the  pos- 
sibility of  reaching  Coban  in  one  day  more,  but 
we  were  exceedingly  anxious,  and  urged  more 
strongly  than  ever  the  importance  of  an  early 
start.  Quite  to  our  own  surprise  he  actually 
called  us  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  having, 
through  a  growing  affection  or  a  better  under- 
standing of  our  ways,  made  a  great  effort  to  carry 


A    THRIFTY  TOWN.  69 

out  our  request.  He  had  his  mules  all  harnessed, 
and  coffee  ready,  so  we  set  out  on  our  journey  at 
once.  The  moon  was  full  and  high  in  the  heav- 
ens, and  by  its  light,  which  was  almost  as  bright 
as  that  of  day,  we  climbed  the  great  mountain 
until  we  reached  its  very  top.  At  eight  o'clock 
we  stopped  for  breakfast  at  "Taltic,"  a  small  but 
flourishing  Indian  town  all  nicely  laid  out  with 
garden  plots,  and  having  an  air  of  thrift  we  had 
not  seen  before,  for  the  Indians  all  over  the  town 
were  at  work  building  fences  and  making  gardens. 
The  town  was  at  such  an  elevation  that  it  seemed 
very  cold.  Every  Indian  wore  a  great  blanket 
over  his  shoulders,  and  we  were  obliged  to  wrap 
ourselves  up  as  warmly  as  possible.  We  took 
breakfast  with  a  pleasant  and  attractive  family, 
though  the  hut  bore  the  sign  "  se  vende  aguardi- 
ente "  (brandy  is  sold  here),  the  brandy  of  the 
country,  very  strong,  and  disagreeable  to  any  but 
natives. 

Near  by  was  a  very  pretty  church  in  which 
services  were  being  held  in  honor  of  a  feast  day, 
"  the  feast  of  candles,"  and  the  church  was  full  of 
Indians  kneeling  upon  the  floor  and  chanting  a 
hymn  in  Spanish  in  response  to  the  priest.  They 


7°  CASSIAfWS    TRIUMPH. 

sang  with  sweet  voices,  but  the  music  was  strange 
and  monotonous. 

By  nine  o'clock  we  began  our  journey  again  ; 
the  boy  assuring  us  that  if  we  could  reach  the 
next  village  by  noon,  we  should  arrive  at  Coban 
that  night.  My  duties  as  interpreter  then  be- 
came exceedingly  arduous,  for  my  father  seemed 
to  think  that  our  getting  to  Coban  depended  upon 
the  number  and  frequency  of  my  questions  to  the 
driver,  and  at  intervals  of  every  fifteen  minutes 
would  say,  "Ask  him  how  far  it  is  now."  How 
anxious  we  were  all  through  the  hours  of  that 
morning,  and  when  we  drove  into  "Santa  Cruz" 
were  almost  afraid  to  look  at  our  watches,  but,  to 
our  joy  as  well  as  Cassimir's  triumph,  the  hands 
pointed  to  precisely  twelve  o'clock. 

The  towns  were  now  growing  larger  and  thrif- 
tier, and  here  there  were  several  coffee  planta- 
tions, and  in  the  "  plaza  "  a  large  group  of  Indian 
women  removing  the  coffee  berry  from  the  pulp, 
there  being  no  machinery  in  these  small  towns. 
They  were  sitting  on  the  ground  with  baskets 
of  the  red  berries  before  them,  and  in  their 
embroidered  dresses,  with  streaming  black  hair, 
made  a  picturesque  group.  They  work  very 


A  REFLEX  OF  HOME.  Jl 

fast,  but  are  paid  only  six  and  one  fourth  cents 
a  clay. 

After  the  mules  had  rested  we  passed  on,  and 
in  a  few  hours  saw  from  the  top  of  a  hill  a  vil- 
lage which,  with  its  white  houses  and  church 
spires,  looked  exceedingly  pretty. 

From  the  distance  it  resembled  very  much  a 
little  New  England  village,  and  I  thought  we  were 
at  last  to  see  something  like  home.  Completely 
exhausted  as  we  were  with  more  than  a  hundred 
miles  of  travelling  over  such  a  rough  road,  we 
hailed  with  delight  our  first  real  halting-place  on 
the  way  to  Guatemala.  It  was  the  home  of  Cas- 
simir  and  the  mules,  and  they  were  as  happy  as 
we.  Though  almost  too  exhausted  to  speak,  we 
stood  up  in  the  carriage  and  shouted,  "  Hurrah ! " 
The  boy  snapped  his  whip  vigorously,  crowed, 
screamed,  and  shouted  in  triumph  to  the  mules,  "  a 
las  cuatro,  Coban  "  (at  four  o'clock,  Coban),  and  we 
dashed  down  the  hill  and  into  the  village  with  re- 
joicing hearts.  But,  alas,  our  joy  was  turned  into  dis- 
appointment when  we  drove  into  Coban,  and  found 
it  the  usual  Indian  town ;  larger,  to  be  sure,  and  in 
many  respects  better,  but  nothing  like  what  its  dis- 
tant appearance  had  deluded  us  into  believing. 


72  HUNGRY   TRAVELLERS. 

We  went  at  once  to  the  hotel,  which  was  kept 
by  a  German  lady,  whose  daughters,  to  our  relief, 
spoke  English.  I  had  become  so  weary  with 
questioning  the  driver  that  I  declared  to  my 
father  that  whether  English  was  spoken  at  the 
hotel  or  not,  he  would  have  to  do  the  talking,  for 
I  could  not  speak  another  word.  "  Hotel  Ale- 
man,"  like  all  the  houses  in  the  place,  was  of 
whitewashed  adcbe,  a  long  one-storied  building 
(there  was  only  one  two-storied  house  in  the 
village),  containing  many  rooms,  but  with  stone 
floors,  and,  like  all  adobe  houses,  dark,  damp,  and 
cheerless.  But  we  stayed  in  the  house  very 
little,  for  there  was  always  bright  sunshine  out  of 
doors,  and  in  front  of  the  hotel  a  beautiful  garden 
where  roses  and  violets  were  in  blossom  the  year 
round. 

The  fare  we  found  very  good,  and  we  did  more 
than  ample  justice  to  every  meal.  The  fact  is,  we 
were  nearly  starved,  and  must  have  acted  almost 
as  ravenous  as  the  Marchioness  at  her  first  ban- 
quet with  Dick  Swiveller.  The  arrangement  of 
meals  in  all  these  countries  is  very  different  from 
ours.  They  never  have  breakfast  before  ten  or 
twelve  o'clock ;  but  have  on  rising  a  cup  of 


CANDELARIA.  73 

coffee  and  piece  of  bread.  The  bread  at  this 
hotel  was  delicious ;  not  in  loaves  like  ours,  but  in 
all  sorts  of  fancy  shapes,  some  kinds  resembling 
cake  more  than  bread.  This  and  the  nice  fresh 
cheese  they  had,  we  enjoyed  very  much.  Coffee 
was  made  after  the  manner  already  described,  but 
was  carefully  prepared  and  very  good.  We  had, 
too,  the  luxury  of  milk  and  sugar.  One  coffee 
shrub  in  the  garden  was  sufficient  for  the  supply 
of  the  hotel. 

We  were  much  interested  in  the  Indian  girl, 
"  Candelaria,"  who  was  the  busiest  body  in  the 
whole  house.  She  waited  on  the  table,  took  care 
of  the  rooms,  brought  water  for  the  house  in  a  jar 
on  her  head,  went  to  the  market,  and  in  fact  was 
doing  something  every  moment  and  yet  never 
seemed  to  be  tired.  Sometimes  we  heard  her 
grinding  coffee  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and 
she  was  always  the  first  one  up  in  the  morning. 

Coban  is  called  very  pretty,  although  I  never 
could  see  anything  to  admire  in  adobe  architec- 
ture. Many  of  the  houses  are  large ;  every 
house,  whether  large  or  small,  and  all  the  fences 
are  kept  freshly  whitewashed,  and  the  whole  place 
is  as  neat  and  clean  as  possible.  It  has  a  fine 


74  COBAN. 

situation  in  a  fertile  valley  at  an  elevation  of  over 
four  thousand  feet,  so  that  the  climate  is  very 
agreeable  and  healthful.  Although  quite  warm  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  it  is  always  cool  in  the 
shade  and  at  morning  and  evening.  To  us, 
coming  as  we  did  from  the  hot  coast  lands,  it 
seemed  very  cold,  and  at  first  I  shivered  in  my 
warmest  wraps,  only  convincing  myself  that  it 
must  be  warm  by  looking  at  the  beautiful  verdure 
all  about. 

The  environs  of  Coban  are  beautiful,  and  a 
walk  in  almost  any  direction  reveals  picturesque 
scenery.  Flowers  are  so  abundunt  that  the  town 
seems  to  be  planted  in  a  garden,  and  almost 
embowered  in  roses.  This  whole  region  is  a  rich 
field  for  the  botanist  and  the  ornithologist.  There 
are  many  varieties  of  birds,  many  of  them  rare 
and  of  brilliant  plumage,  and  they  can  be  obtained 
of  the  Indians  at  a  moderate  sum.  The  finest 
roses  of  our  hothouses  blossom  here  the  year 
round,  and  in  the  woods  are  the  rarest  orchids, 
which  are  often  bought  of  the  Indians  for  five 
cents  and  sold  in  London  for  hundreds  of  dollars. 

The  population  of  Coban  is  estimated  at  fifteen 
thousand,  but  these  figures  give  rather  an  exag- 


EXILES  FROM  CIVILIZATION.  75 

gerated  idea  of  its  size,  as  the  majority  are  In- 
dians, many  of  whom  often  live  in  a  very  small 
space.  The  English-speaking  people  were  Ger- 
mans, and  they  received  us  with  the  greatest  cor- 
diality and  kindness,  and  did  everything  possible 
to  make  our  stay  pleasant.  There  were  several 
finely  educated  and  cultured  young  ladies,  whose 
society  I  greatly  enjoyed.  Some  of  the  Germans 
are  owners  of  coffee  plantations,  others  are  mer- 
chants supplying  the  interior  towns,  and  it  is  as- 
tonishing how  many  stores  there  are  throughout 
the  country,  and  what  a  vast  amount  of  goods  is 
imported,  almost  nothing  being  manufactured. 
Although  so  far  removed  from  the  civilized  world, 
and  obliged  to  live  somewhat  after  the  fashion  of 
the  country,  still  these  Germans  have  all  the  com- 
forts and  luxuries  of  life  except  that  they  are  quite 
deprived  of  society  save  in  their  own  small  circle ; 
for,  although  they  mingle  somewhat  with  the  better 
class  of  the  natives,  there  is  little  affiliation  be- 
tween them. 

No  foreigners  thoroughly  enjoy  living  there. 
Every  American  and  German  we  met  in  Central 
America  was  always  looking  forward  to  the  time 
when  he  should  return  to  his  native  land  ;  still  not 


?  WELCOME    VISITORS. 

one  out  of  a  hundred  ever  does,  and  those  who  go 
almost  invariably  return,  drawn  by  a  strange  fasci- 
nation which  seems  to  hold  them  to  this  strange  life. 

Our  arrival  was  quite  an  event  in  this  quiet 
town.  The  Germans  were  glad  to  see  any  one 
from  a  civilized  country,  and  the  natives  regarded 
us  with  much  curiosity.  We  had  not  been  in  the 
place  two  hours  before  they  knew  it  and  were  anx- 
ious to  see  us.  They  would  inquire  "  What  are 
they  like  ?  "  and  would  make  some  excuse  to  come 
to  the  hotel  that  they  might  see  us,  the  children 
even  coming  and  gazing  in  at  the  windows.  They 
seemed  particularly  impressed  by  my  father's  size, 
and  whenever  we  appeared  on  the  street  we  were 
gazed  at  with  wonder  and  admiration,  and  often 
heard  the  expressions  "  que  gordo  !  "  ("  how  fat  ") 
and  "  pesa  mucho  !  "  ("  he  is  very  heavy  ").  Though 
they  had  not  the  slightest  intention  of  being  rude, 
and  intended  all  their  staring  as  the  highest  com- 
pliment, yet  it  was  to  us  very  unpleasant,  and  we 
found  the  position  of  "  extrangeros "  (foreigners) 
most  trying  and  uncomfortable. 

Our  chief  diversion  was  to  visit  the  "  Plaza " 
every  morning.  It  was  a  large  open  square  on  the 
top  of  a  hill  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  enclosed 


THE  "PLAZA."  77 

by  a  church,  cabildo  and  stores.  In  this  square 
the  Indian  women  sat  on  the  ground  in  the  hot 
sun,  selling  meat,  fruit,  and  vegetables.  It  was  a 
very  curious  scene,  ever  new  and  interesting,  but 
impossible  to  describe,  being  unlike  any  other  part 
of  the  world  save  the  Orient.  The  prices  were 
remarkable.  For  the  smallest  piece  of  money  (a 
cuartilla),  about  three  cents,  we  could  get  more 
oranges  than  we  could  carry ;  pine-apples,  two  for 
five  cents  ;  cocoanuts  and  bananas,  three  for  five 
cents  ;  eggs,  a  cent  apiece  ;  beef,  twelve  and  a  half 
cents  a  pound ;  and  cigars,  five  dollars  per  thou- 
sand. 

One  afternoon  we  visited  the  cemetery,  on  a 
high  hill,  reached  by  over  a  hundred  steps  ;  a  hard 
climb,  but  repaying  us  with  a  fine  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  It  was  a  strange  looking  place, 
many  of  the  graves  being  marked  only  by  a  stick, 
others  by  a  rude  arch  of  mud,  and  a  few  by 
monuments  of  whitewashed  adobe.  There  was  a 
small  chapel,  with  the  usual  tinsel  ornaments  and 
images.  Just  as  we  reached  the  top  of  the  steps 
the  bell  in  the  chapel  began  to  ring  violently,  and, 
looking  down,  we  saw  mounting  the  hill  an  Indian 
funeral  procession,  headed  by  three  or  four  fiddlers, 


78  FUNERAL   RITES. 

and  consisting  of  a  straggling  crowd,  mostly 
women,  who,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  coun- 
try, were  hired  to  go  as  mourners  and  were  making 
an  evident  effort  to  weep  and  wail. 

The  coffin,  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  four  men, 
was  a  rude  affair,  covered  with  black  and  white 
paper  and  decorated  with  a  skull  and  cross-bones, 
the  former  looking  exactly  like  the  head  made 
by  children  on  a  " jack-lantern.*'  The  procession 
entered  the  church,  where  a  priest  stood  before 
the  altar,  on  which  were  many  lighted  candles,  and 
all  knelt  ;  but  we  could  not  see  that  there  was  any 
service,  or  hear  anything  save  the  music  and  the 
bell  of  the  chapel,  which  was  ringing  loudly. 

After  a  few  moments  they  proceeded  to  the 
grave  and  lowered  the  coffin,  the  women  sobbing 
aloud  and  making  an  extra  show  of  grief.  This 
was  the  funeral  of  a  wealthy  Indian,  for  the  poor 
mozo  is  merely  wrapped  in  a  "petate,"  and  just 
covered  with  a  little  dirt,  sometimes  a  toe  being 
left  sticking  out  of  the  ground. 

\Ve  witnessed,  too,  another  one  of  their  curious 
customs,  a  religious  ceremony.  It  was  a  proces- 
sion of  Indians  carrying  an  image  of  the  Virgin 
Mary,  simply  a  large  doll  dressed  beautifully  in 


EVENING    WORSHIP.  79 

white,  with  many  spangles,  and  sitting  in  a  large 
chair,  adorned  with  festoons  of  flowers.  The 
image  was  borne  by  women  and  preceded  by 
weird  music,  every  one  in  the  street  kneeling  be- 
fore it,  and  remaining  in  that  posture  until  it  had 
passed. 

Frequently,  in  passing  a  house  in  the  evening, 
we  would  hear  a  monotonous  chant,  and,  on  look- 
ing in,  for  the  doors  were  open,  could  see  a  large 
crowd  kneeling  and  worshipping  some  image. 
We  were  told  that  there  was  very  little  depth  to 
their  religion  ;  that  it  consisted  mostly  of  empty 
show,  ringing  of  bells,  and  occasional  displays  of 
fireworks.  The  church  was  large  and  quite  hand- 
some, but  there  seldom  seemed  to  be  any  services 
held  there.  Sunday  was  the  great  market-day 
and  holiday.  In  the  afternoon  there  was  quite  a 
display  of  troops,  and  the  band  played  in  one  of 
the  principal  squares. 

We  learned  much  of  Spanish  customs,  and  of 
the  state  of  society,  which  is  most  deplorable ;  but 
as  this  place  is  simply  a  smaller  edition  of  the 
capital,  we  prefer  to  speak  of  this  subject  later  on. 

Notwithstanding  all  that  the  Germans  did  to 
make  our  stay  pleasant,  as  soon  as  we  got  rested 


80  AA'X/OCS  FOREBODIXGS. 

we  were  anxious  to  press  on  ;  but  found  to  our 
displeasure  that  it  would  take  us  some  time  to 
make  arrangements  for  the  new  mode  of  travelling 
which  we  must  adopt. 

Up  to  this  time  I  had  cherished  a  faint  hope 
that  there  would  be  some  way  to  escape  travel- 
ling on  mule-back,  of  which  I  had  the  greatest 
dread.  So  far  it  had  been  possible,  but  between 
us  and  Guatemala  there  were  yet  nearly  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles,  which  could  be  traversed 
only  on  mule-back  because  there  was  only  a 
narrow  mountain-path,  merely  the  old  trail  of  the 
Indians,  very  little  improved  from  time  imme- 
morial. 

Then  came  my  greatest  trial  in  the  whole  jour- 
ney. Although  I  had  sufficient  courage  to  under- 
take anything  else,  I  was  very  timid  about  riding 
horse-back,  and  this  natural  timidity  had  been 
increased  by  being  thrown  from  a  horse  just 
before  leaving  home.  While  in  Coban  a  party  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen  was  made  up  especially  for 
me  to  go  and  visit  one  of  the  finest  estates,  where 
there  was  a  remarkable  collection  of  rare  orchids, 
but  I  had  to  beat  an  ignominious  retreat,  even 
after  I  was  mounted  on  the  horse's  back,  and  let 


IN  DESPAIR.  8 1 

the  rest  of  the  party  go  without  me.  I  began  to 
think  I  should  never  get  to  Guatemala  City.  I 
inquired  most  earnestly  if  there  was  no  other 
way ;  and  learned  that  there  was  none  save  that 
of  being  carried  on  an  Indian's  back,  a  method 
sometimes  employed  for  children  and  persons  in 
feeble  health.  I  thought  even  this  mode  of  loco- 
motion preferable  to  mule-back,  and  went  so  far 
as  to  try  the  experiment  of  taking  a  short  ride 
in  a  chair  strapped  upon  an  Indian's  back.  But, 
although  this  fellow  was  a  stalwart  specimen,  he 
pronounced  me  "too  heavy";  and  as  the  law 
limited  an  Indian's  cargo  to  one  hundred  and  fif- 
teen pounds,  my  case  was  hopeless.  Evidently 
my  father  and  I  were  not  designed  by  nature  for 
travelling  in  this  country.  Finally,  one  young 
lady,  who  was  also  timid  about  riding,  suggested 
that  I  might  have  an  Indian  lead  my  horse  as 
she  had  done,  telling  me  it  would  insure  a  great 
feeling  of  safety.  This  plan  I  decided  to  adopt, 
and  tried  to  bring  my  courage  up  to  the  point 
of  undertaking  the  long,  hard  journey. 

We  were  now  impatient  to  reach  the  capital,  of 
which  we  heard  high  praises  on  every  side,  but 
found  "  manana  "  and  "  no  hay  "  great  and  almost 


82  OBSTACLES. 

insurmountable  obstacles.  It  was  more  trouble  to 
get  out  of  that  little  town  than  it  had  been  to  pre- 
pare for  our  whole  trip  ;  for,  although  we  were  in  a 
country  where  travelling  is  done  almost  entirely 
on  mule-back,  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  obtain 
either  suitable  saddles  or  animals ;  our  case  being 
particularly  serious,  as  the  mules  are  all  small  and 
not  accustomed  to  carry  over  one  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds.  Finally  our  old  friend  "  Dolly," 
called  the  stoutest  and  best  mule  in  the  country, 
was  decided  upon  to  carry  the  "heavy-weight," 
a  pony  was  obtained  for  me,  and  saddles  were 
found  which  some  repairing  made  safe  though  not 
comfortable.  Our  baggage  must  be  carried  by 
Indians,  but  they  were  so  plenty  we  supposed  we 
could  get  them  at  a  minute's  notice;  what  was 
our  surprise  when  we  found  we  had  quite  a  pro- 
cess to  go  through  with  !  We  had  to  go  to  the 
comandante  and  make  all  the  arrangements 
through  him,  giving  the  mozos  three  days' 
notice  to  cook  provisions  (that  is,  tortillas)  for 
the  whole  journey  to  and  from  Guatemala.  We 
paid  the  comandante  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
for  each  mozo,  and  for  that  paltry  sum  each  was 
to  carry  a  weight  of  seventy-five  or  one  hun- 


INJUSTICE    TO    THE  INDIANS.  83 

dred  pounds  to  Guatemala,  and  then  return  home, 
making  in  all  a  journey  of  nine  or  ten  days. 
Furthermore,  the  comandante  charged  us  not  to 
give  them  generous  fees,  as  it  would  establish  a 
bad  precedent.  It  seemed  very  unjust  to  the 
poor  Indians  to  have  some  one  else  make  all  their 
bargains  for  them,  and  forbid  even  a  little  kindly 
charity,  but  the  people  regard  them  as  little  better 
than  animals,  and  fit  only  for  cargo-carrying, 
almost  always  addressing  them  as  "  chucho,"  a 
word  used  to  call  a  dog.  By  dint  of  much  urging 
we  managed  to  get  one  mozo  to  go  with  us  to 
lead  my  horse  and  carry  our  handbags,  starting 
when  we  got  ready,  for  we  decided  not  to  wait  for 
the  baggage-carriers.  The  comandante,  on  being 
asked  if  the  latter  would  start  when  they  agreed, 
said  he  would  send  an  officer  to  arrest  them  the 
day  before  and  put  them  in  jail,  so  there  could  be 
no  doubt  about  it. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

OX    MULE-BACK. 

WE  left  Coban  a  week  from  the  day  we  entered 
it ;  much  to  the  surprise  of  all  the  people,  who 
thought  we  had  been  wonderfully  expeditious.  We 
had  hired  to  go  with  us,  besides  the  mozo,  a  most 
excellent  guide,  whom  we  had  taken  great  pains 
to  secure.  He  was  not  an  ordinary  muleteer,  but 
a  young  man  from  one  of  the  coffee  "finchas," 
and  proved  to  be  a  most  efficient  and  devoted  ser- 
vant. It  was  impossible  to  find  a  guide  who  could 
speak  English,  but  he  spoke  what  was  far  more 
useful  in  this  country  —  the  language  of  the  In- 
dians—  and  was  so  bright  and  quick  to  understand 
and  anticipate  our  wants,  that  a  few  words  were 
quite  sufficient.  He  had  one  of  the  pleasantest 
faces  I  ever  saw,  and  my  father  and  I  were  both 
reassured  the  moment  we  saw  him,  for  to  us  a  good 
guide  was  of  the  greatest  importance,  as  we  had 
to  depend  upon  him  entirely,  and  trust  wholly  to 
his  judgment.  We  found  Melesio  Guerra  the 

84 


THE   DREADED   ORDEAL.  85 

embodiment  of  amiability,  patience,  and  obedience, 
and,  but  for  his  kindness  and  sympathy,  I  believe 
I  never  could  have  reached  Guatemala  City. 

For  twenty  or  twenty-five  miles  the  road  was 
wide  enough  for  a  carriage,  being,  as  far  as  Santa 
Cruz,  the  road  we  had  already  traversed,  and 
we  availed  ourselves  of  the  carriage  for  this  dis- 
tance. But  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  we 
reached  the  spot  where  we  must  mount  and 
begin  the  mode  of  travelling  so  dreaded  by  me. 
The  owner  of  the  carriage  —  an  American  —  had 
come  with  us,  and  remained  to  see  our  mule 
train  safely  started.  The  guide,  on  a  little  black 
mule,  went  ahead  ;  the  Indian  came  next,  leading 
my  horse,  and  my  father  last,  on  "Dolly."  The 
path  wound  up  a  steep  hill  and  was  very  rough. 
We  went  most  slowly,  and  by  the  time  we  began 
to  descend  were  enveloped  in  black  darkness,  and 
the  way  seemed  truly  frightful.  We  could  not  see 
an  inch  before  us ;  the  animals,  although  very 
sure-footed,  would  stumble  every  few  moments 
over  a  loose  stone,  or  step  so  suddenly  into  a  hole 
or  deep  cut  as  to  almost  throw  us  off  their  backs. 
I  clung  to  the  saddle  until  my  hands  were  blis- 
tered, and  then  dismounted  and  walked. 


86  A    YOCA'G 

At  about  eight  o'clock  we  reached  Santa  Rosa, 
the  little  Indian  village  where  we  were  to  spend 
the  night.  The  only  incident  here  worth  men- 
tioning was  furnished  by  a  bright  boy  of  seven  or 
eight  years,  who  occupied  the  third  cot  in  the 
room  with  us,  the  rest  of  the  space  being  entirely 
taken  by  a  heap  of  corn.  He  seemed  exceedingly 
restless,  tossing  about  on  his  couch  for  some  time, 
until  he  finally  got  up,  and,  to  our  surprise,  pro- 
ceeded to  light  a  cigarette.  With  this  in  his 
mouth  he  retired  to  his  cot,  and,  after  smoking 
several  cigarettes,  finally  got  quiet  and  fell  asleep. 
This  we^mention  merely  as  illustrating  the  univer- 
sality of  smoking  in  this  country,  among  men, 
women;  and  children,  the  boys  often  beginning 
when  three  or  four  years  old ;  in  fact,  we  saw 
one  pretty  little  fellow  of  two  years  already  ad- 
dicted to  the  habit,  in  spite  of  whippings  from  his 
parents,  who  happened  to  be  unusually  strict  in 
this  matter. 

The  next  morning  we  started  about  six  o'clock, 
and  in  a  few  hours  I  lost  my  fear  sufficiently  to  ride 
without  having  the  horse  led,  much  to  the  relief  of 
the  Indian,  who  evidently  regarded  this  part  of  his 
duties  as  very  foolish.  We  had  not  ridden  far 


SALAJfA.  87 

before  we  envied  our  mozo  his  mode  of  loco- 
motion, and  would  gladly  have  changed  places 
with  him  if  we  could.  It  is  impossible  by  any 
words  to  do  justice  to  the 'nature  of  a  mule  or 
the  aches  and  pains  of  mule-back,  such  as  we 
endured.  A  person  may  enjoy  a  gentle  canter 
of  an  hour  or  two  over  a  smooth  road  ;  but  put 
that  same  experienced  rider  down  in  Central  Amer- 
ica, and  let  him  ride  twenty  or  twenty-five  miles 
a  day  for  five  days,  on  a  stubborn  mule,  up  and 
clown  mountains,  on  a  rocky  road,  and  he  will  know 
how  to  appreciate  a  Pullman  car,  and  never  after 
complain  of  any  civilized  mode  of  travelling. 
But  we  were  not  even  experienced  riders  ;  in  fact, 
were  not  at  all  accustomed  to  it,  and  the  motion  of 
the  mule  was  tiring  beyond  description. 

At  nine  o'clock  we  reached  the  top  of  a  mountain, 
from  which  we  had  a  magnificent  view ;  so  magni- 
ficent that  we  paused  a  while  to  look.  Before  us 
lay  a  green  valley  all  shut  in  by  majestic  moun- 
tains towering  above  the  clouds,  and  bearing  on 
their  slopes  little  white  villages  which  looked  very 
fair  in  the  distance.  The  largest  of  these  our 
guide  pointed  out  as  Salama,  the  place  where 
we  should  get  breakfast ;  and,  although  we  had 


88  AN  ENCHANTING   SCENE, 

learned  by  former  experience  that  the  saying  "Dis- 
tance lends  enchantment  "  was  never  truer  than 
of  these  Indian  villages,  yet  this  one  looked  so 
beautiful,  nestling  there  on  the  mountain-side,  and 
seemed  so  near,  almost  within  a  stone's  throw,  that 
we  were  greatly  cheered  by  the  sight,  and  started 
down  the  mountain  with  fresh  courage.  But  the 
way  proved  long  and  weary,  and  it  seemed  as  if 
we  should  never  reach  Salama,  for  after  we  de- 
scended the  mountain  we  had  to  cross  a  long, 
dusty  plain,  and  it  was  twelve  o'clock  before  we 
reached  the  village  —  three  hours  from  the  time 
we  saw  it  from  the  top  of  the  mountain.  It  proved 
to  be  quite  a  large,  pretty  place,  the  best  we  saw 
in  all  our  journey,  and  possessed  a  hotel,  a  long, 
neat  looking  building,  with  a  large  courtyard. 
The  lady  of  the  house  was  very  pleasant  and 
received  us  most  politely,  inviting  us  at  once  to 
come  in  and  rest  in  a  room  furnished  with  neat 
cot  beds  and  a  sumptuous  hammock.  I  immedi- 
ately availed  myself  of  this  invitation.  But  alas  for 
corpulency  !  The  old  story  of  Gulliver  among  the 
Liliputians  was  repeated  ;  for  the  man,  who  was 
regarded  as  a  wonder  on  account  of  his  size,  who 
even  on  the  largest  mule  in  the  country  looked 


A   "GREAT  MAN^S"    TRIALS.  89 

as  ludicrous  as  a  boy  riding  a  walking-stick,  now, 
though  so  tired  and  lame  he  could  hardly  step, 
found,  to  his  dismay,  that  the  door  was  so  small  he 
could  not  pass  through.  The  lady  was  very  sym- 
pathetic, and  urged  him  to  try  it  "  sideways,"  but  it 
was  of  no  use ;  and  he  had  to  sit  on  a  hard  bench 
outside  the  door,  and  have  his  breakfast  served  on 
the  piazza,  because  he  was  too  big  to  get  into  the 
house. 

Our  guide  here,  more  thoughtful  of  the  future 
than  most  people  in  this  country,  advised  us  to 
purchase  some  bread  to  eat  with  our  morning 
cup  of  coffee,  as  this  was  the  last  place  on  the 
road  where  we  could  get  it  before  we  reached 
Guatemala.  The  bread  was  the  same  as  that  of 
Coban,  already  described — -the  one  article  of 
food  in  which  the  people  excel  us.  It  is  made 
into  all  sorts  of  fancy  shapes,  and,  although  eaten 
without  butter,  is  really  delicious  with  a  cup  of 
coffee.  We  found  it  in  all  the  larger  towns  and 
cities  both  of  Central  America  and  Mexico,  and  it 
was  the  one  article  of  food  we  most  enjoyed  and 
were  most  sorry  to  forego. 

From  Salama  we  sent  a  telegram  to  Guate- 
mala for  a.  carriage  to  meet  us  Saturday  morning 


9°  THE    GOITRE. 

(it  was  then  Wednesday)  at  San  Antonio,  a  few 
hours'  ride  from  the  city,  and  as  far  as  a  carriage 
could  come,  for  we  had  no  ambition  to  ride  mule- 
back  any  farther  than  was  absolutely  necessary. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  though  lame, 
sore,  and  weary,  we  mounted  again,  reaching  our 
stopping-place  about  5:30.  It  was  just  at  the  base 
of  a  mountain,  to  climb  which  must  be  our  next 
task,  and  we  had  been  told  by  everybody  it  was 
the  highest  mountain  in  all  the  way.  Besides  the 
.thought  of  this  to  trouble  us,  there  were  many 
fleas  to  torment  us  ;  and  ever  after  this  until  we 
once  more  got  into  the  United  States,  we  suffered 
from  these  troublesome  insects.  The  woman  of 
the  house  where  we  stopped  had  the  goitre,  and 
we  saw  several  men  and  women,  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  afflicted  with  this  disease.  It  is  a  swell- 
ing of  the  front  and  sides  cf  the  neck,  sometimes 
reaching  a  great  size  so  as  even  to  hang  down 
upon  the  chest.  When  large,  its  weight  presses 
upon  the  windpipe  and  causes  difficulty  of  breath- 
ing, alteration  of  the  voice,  and  a  bad  cough,  finally 
ending  in  consumption,  apoplexy,  or  suffocation. 
We  inquired  the  cause  of  this  strange  disease,  and 
always  received  the  answer,  "the  water,"  which 


A   HARD  CLIMB.  9 1 

hardly  seemed  possible  to  us,  for  the  water  drank 
here  is  that  of  mountain  streams,  which  seem 
clear  and  sparkling  and  pure.  The  disease  is 
found  only  in  mountainous  countries,  being  com- 
mon in  Switzerland,  in  dark,  deep  valleys,  where 
the  air  is  cold  and  moist  and  the  water  contains 
lime  or  other  alkaline  substances. 

Next  morning  we  climbed  the  high  mountain, 
which  was  at  least  three  miles  up  and  six  down  ; 
the  ascent  took  over  an  hour^and  the  descent 
more  than  two.  The  coming  down  was  very  tire- 
some, for  we  had  to  keep  ourselves  braced  every 
moment,  not  daring  to  change  in  the  least  our 
position  lest  we  be  thrown  over  the  mules'  heads  ; 
and  the  road  was  narrow  and  steep,  with  some 
deep  cuts  which  were  really  frightful.  But  we 
reached  the  bottom  safely  about  ten  o'clock,  and 
found  a  mud  hut,  where  the  housekeeper  and  head 
of  the  family  was  a  pretty  girl  of  about  fifteen 
years.  As  usual,  we  flung  ourselves  into  ham- 
mocks to  wait  for  breakfast,  but  the  delay  was 
longer  than  usual,  for  the  girl  had  no  one  to  help 
her;  and  to  get  breakfast  in  this  country  is  a  long 
task.  Everything  is  cooked  over  a  little  charcoal 
fire ;  and  if  they  have  a  dozen  eggs  to  fry  or 


92  MOUXTA1N  AFTER  MOUNTAIN. 

twenty  tortillas  to  bake,  only  one  is  cooked  at  a 
time. 

All  the  afternoon  we  were  travelling  on  the 
plains  ;  it  was  very  hot,  and  the  road  was  dusty  and 
uninteresting,  part  of  the  way  a  narrow  path  over 
a  ravine,  whose  depth,  however,  was  slight  com- 
pared with  what  we  saw  afterwards. 

All  the  way  we  found  the  same  kind  of  villages 
and  the  same  lack  of  accommodations  as  in  our 
journey  from  Panzos  to  Coban,  though  our  excel- 
lent guide  relieved  us  from  all  care  and  trouble, 
and  made  us  as  comfortable  as  possible,  furnishing 
us  with  one  luxury  which  we  fully  appreciated,  a 
calabash  of  water  every  morning,  in  which  to 
bathe  our  faces  ;  so  we  did  not  have  to  hunt  around 
as  before  for  a  running  stream,  and  go  with  dirty 
faces  if  we  could  not  find  one.  The  road  was 
even  more  mountainous  than  before,  especially 
after  the  first  day.  In  fact,  this  range  is  remark- 
able for  its  lack  of  valleys  ;  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  day,  when  we  rode  for  a  while  on  a 
hot,  dusty  plain,  we  were  climbing  mountains  all 
the  time,  having  no  sooner  descended  one  than  we 
had  to  ascend •  another.  In  our  ascent  we  were 
often  among  the  clouds  hovering  about  the  moun- 


THE   LAND   OF  DO-NO  THING.  93 

tain,  and  for  a  while  would  be  enveloped  in  fog 
and  mist,  or  even  rain,  until  we  mounted  above 
them  into  clear  sunlight  again.  Being  in  higher 
regions,  we  saw  less  of  luxuriant  tropical  verdure 
but  more  sugar  and  banana  plantations,  "  hacien- 
das "  (cattle  ranches),  and  fields  of  corn  and 
cactus.  There  were  very  few  signs  of  agriculture 
or  labor  of  any  kind,  fields  often  rich  and  fertile 
being  entirely  uncultivated.  No  matter  what 
time  of  the  day  we  stopped  at  a  house  to  rest,  the 
men  were  almost  invariably  at  home  doing  noth- 
ing, save  now  and  then  we  found  one  weaving  in  a 
simple  hand-loom  the  coarse  cloth  of  which  the 
Indian's  dress  is  made.  The  women  seemed  more 
industrious  than  the  men,  for  they  were  house- 
keepers ;  and  the  noise  of  the  Indian  housewife 
patting  her  tortillas  in  preparation  for  breakfast 
was  the  only  sound  that  ever  broke  the  silence  of 
our  quiet  morning  rides.  For  what  need  have 
men  to  work  in  a  land  of  perpetual  summer, 
where  fruits  grow  wild,  and  a  small  piece  of 
ground  will  produce  frijoles  and  corn,  their  sole 
living ;  where  branches  and  stout  vines  from  the 
woods  furnish  the  framework  of  their  houses, 
mud  the  covering,  and  palm  leaves  the  thatching 


94  AN  INDIFFERENT  OFFICIAL. 

for  the  roof?  They  come  up  idle  and  careless  in 
the  sunshine,  marry,  grow  old,  and  die,  never 
having  advanced  a  step  beyond  their  fathers,  nor, 
to  all  appearance,  had  a  longing  for  better  things. 
Yet  there  was  never  a  more  docile,  kind-hearted, 
happy  people  in  the  world,  and  who  shall  say  they 
are  not  much  better  off  than  we,  with  our  artificial 
wants,  and  strivings  after  the  impossible? 

The  third  night  we  spent  at  Las  Canoas,  a 
pretty,  picturesque  spot  by  a  river,  but  the  co- 
mandante  was  the  first  and  only  one  in  all  the 
journey  not  to  show  us  the  greatest  politeness. 
He  seemed  entirely  absorbed  in  his  own  imagined 
greatness,  and  took  no  notice  of  us.  If  we  had 
reported  him  to  President  Barrios,  he  would  have 
lost  his  place  and  perhaps  his  head,  for  the  Presi- 
dent especially  instructed  all  his  officials  through- 
out the  country  to  show  the  utmost  courtesy  and 
kindness  to  strangers.  We  were  already  quite 
familiar  with  Barrios'  face,  for  his  picture  hung  in 
every  cabildo,  and  we  often  heard  praises  of  his 
government. 

All  about  the  cabildo  here  was  a  great  crowd  of 
Indians,  as  many  as  forty  or  fifty,  and  they  made 
a  very  picturesque  sight  partaking  of  their  evening 


A   MOTLEY  THRONG.  95 

meal.  The  women  built  the  little  fire  of  sticks 
and  warmed  up  the  tortillas,  while  each  one 
placed  a  small  calabash  of  water  in  the  fire  to  be 
heated,  for,  as  we  learned,  they  always  drink  their 
water  hot.  This  seemed  strange  and  we  asked 
our  guide  the  reason.  He  said,  "It  is  good  for 
the  stomach,"  which  made  us  wonder  if  the  recent 
hot  water  remedy  had  its  "origin  among  the 
Indians. 

The  fourth  day,  at  half-past  six,  we  mounted 
again,  passing  just  out  of  the  village  a  fine  bridge, 
which  surprised  us  very  much,  as  it  was  the  only 
one  of  any  size  in  the  whole  journey,  though 
we  saw  many  places  where  bridges  were  greatly 
needed,  both  over  streams  and  gulleys. 

We  were  now  constantly  meeting  more  trav- 
ellers than  before,  and  their  number  increased  as 
we  neared  the  capital.  There  were  companies  of 
soldiers,  both  men  and  women  on  mule-back, 
and  large  bands  of  mozos,  including  boys,  carrying 
burdens  almost  as  large  as  themselves,  and 
it  was  an  ever  new  and  interesting  study  to  look 
into  their  faces,  and  observe  their  queer  gait, 
by  which  they  make  •  almost  as  good  time  as 
a  mule.  In  fact,  the  mozo  who  went  with  us 


9  "AGUA,   AGUA:1 

made  every  day  the  same  stations  we  did,  not 
being  behind  us  more  than  an  hour.  It  is  surpris- 
ing how  perfectly  erect  these  Indians  are,  though 
they  have  to  go  half  bent  under  their  cargo ;  the 
moment  their  burden  is  dropped  they  stand  as 
straight  as  an  arrow,  and  we  never  once  saw  an 
Indian  bowed  over.  We  got  accustomed  to  their 
dark  color,  and  grew  even  to  like  it  after  a  while. 
Very  often  we  came  upon  a  large  group  of  them 
under  a  wide-spreading  tree  by  a  running  brook, 
resting  and  preparing  a  meal,  and  there  was  never 
a  more  interesting,  picturesque  wayside  scene  than 
they  presented. 

The  fourth  day  it  was  very  hot  and  dusty  ;  we 
were  lame  and  weary,  and  my  father  suffered 
much  from  thirst.  His  continual  cry  all  day  was 
"agua,  agua,"  and  he  halted  for  water  at  every 
hut,  running  stream,  and  Indian  band.  We  found 
only  very  small  villages  in  the  way,  and  no  signs 
of  labor  or  cultivation.  The  first  hut  we  came  to 
was  in  the  midst  of  a  large  banana  plantation, 
with  no  other  house  in  sight.  Seeing  the  guide 
about  to  dismount  I  asked,  "  How  far  is  it  to  San 
Bernato?"  (the  place  where  wre  were  to  breakfast). 
He  answered,  "  This  is  San  Bernato  " ;  and,  sure 


UNIQUE   "  VILLAGES."  97 

enough,  the  one  house  was  dignified  with  the  rank 
and  title  of  a  village.  The  population,  however, 
was  not  altogether  insignificant,  for  there  was  a 
very  large  family  of  dirty  children,  and  it  was  the 
only  really  untidy  house  in  which  we  ever  ate. 

About  noon,  being  warm  and  tired,  we  stopped 
again,  at  one  of  a  group  of  three  or  four  houses, 
also  constituting  a  village,  with  a  long  name, 
"  Talpichi  Grande."  We  were  received  most  cor- 
dially by  the  people,  who  showed  us  the  greatest 
attention.  There  was  little  they  could  do,  for  they 
had  little  to  do  with  ;  but  they  could  not  have 
treated  us  better  if  we  had  been  kings. 

In  this  house  they  manufactured  "  chicha,"  the 
favorite  drink  of  the  Indians,  tasting  like  sweet 
cider,  but  said  to  be  quite  intoxicating.  In  fact, 
we  had  an  illustration  of  its  effect  at  this  very 
house,  where  an  Indian  was  talking  very  volubly 
in  Spanish,  a  language  he  would  have  probably 
disdained  in  his  sober  moments  ;  for  such  is  the 
hatred  for  the  Spaniards  among  the  Indians,  that, 
although  they  as  a  rule  understand  the  language, 
they  will  not  speak  it,  save  in  the  large  cities,  and 
where  it  is  absolutely  necessary. 

As    usual,  on    entering    these    houses    our  first 


9  A   STRANGE  BEDFELLOW, 

thought  was  to  rest ;  and  I  had  a  new  experience 
here,  even  for  this  country.  The  single  cot  was 
already  partly  occupied  by  a  sitting  hen,  but  she 
seemed  not  at  all  disturbed  by  my  approach,  and 
I  was  so  tired  and  had  grown  so  accustomed  to 
the  prevailing  style  of  living  that  nothing  surprised 
me,  and  I  actually  shared  the  pillow  some  time  with 
my  feathered  friend  before  the  ludicrousness  of 
the  situation  occurred  to  me,  and  I  began  to  wonder 
what  our  Boston  friends  would  say  if  they  knew 
the  style  in  which  we  were  travelling. 

After  we  got  rested  enough  to  move,  we 
mounted  again,  though  the  people  urged  us  not  to 
go  on  in  the  heat,  and  offered  us  every  inducement 
to  remain  ;  but  we  never  could  stay  long  in  their 
wretched  huts,  and  preferred  moving  on  to  resting 
there.  Just  before  we  went  our  mozo  arrived ; 
and  seeing  the  "chicha,"  he  asked  most  eagerly 
for  a  "cuartilla."  We  left  him  drinking  out  of  a 
large  bowl,  and  when  we  saw  him  again,  at  night, 
its  effects  were  evident  in  his  attempts  to  converse 
in  Spanish,  though  he  had  never  before  ventured 
to  address  us. 

We  very  soon  left. the  plains,  and  resumed  our 
journey  on  a  narrow  mountain  path,  the  precipice 


A   BARREN  PLACE.  99 

ever  growing  deeper  and  deeper  as  we  wound 
around  the  mountain,  and  gradually  ascended. 
At  three  o'clock  we  reached  the  very  top,  where 
there  was  a  little  village  of  three  or  four  houses, 
and  where  we  had  planned  to  pass  the  night,  but  it 
was  such  a  barren,  lonely  place,  without  a  cabildo, 
or  even  "zacate"  for  the  mules,  that  we  felt  as  if 
we  could  not  stay,  and  must  try  to  reach  another 
station  before  night.  How  anxiously  I  questioned 
the  guide,  but  he  said  there  was  not  even  a  hut 
between  there  and  San  Antonio,  which  was  so 
far  it  could  not  be  reached  until  very  late,  and 
that  the  road  was  too  dangerous  for  travelling  in 
the  dark.  So  we  reluctantly  dismounted,  and 
passed  as  best  we  could  the  long,  weary  afternoon, 
sitting  on  a  hard  bench,  listening  to  the  soughing 
of  the  wind  in  the  pine  trees,  watching  a  drove  of 
lean,  hungry  pigs  trying  to  steal  corn  from  our 
mules ;  or,  as  usual  when  we  made  a  long  stop, 
giving  the  guide  a  lesson  in  English,  for  he  was 
very  anxious  to  learn,  and  I  was  glad  to  help  him, 
on  account  of  his  devotion  and  faithfulness.  The 
pronunciation  troubled  him  but  little,  and  he 
learned  very  quickly.  The  Spanish  seem  to 
have  a  wonderful  ability  for  acquiring  our  Ian- 


1 00  A    CLEVER   RUSE. 

guage,  and,  as  a  nation,  speak  it  remarkably 
well.  A  Frenchman  or  German,  no  matter  how 
well  he  knows  English,  will  almost  invariably  be- 
tray his  nationality  by  his  accent  ;  but  a  Spaniard 
speaks  it  as  if  it  were  his  native  tongue.  Our 
first  Spanish  friend,  Emilio  Carranza,  knew  very 
little  English,  but  the  few  sentences  he  used  were 
spoken  as  perfectly  as  if  he  had  been  an  Ameri- 
can. 

We  got  our  dinner  at  one  of  the  houses,  and 
were  happy  in  the  addition  of  a  bowl  of  honey, 
which  we  bought  for  a  "  medio "  (six  and  one 
fourth  cents),  but  we  were  greatly  troubled  to  get 
a  drink  of  water,  as  the  soil  was  clayey,  and  the 
water  turbid  and  disagreeable.  About  three 
miles  before  we  reached  this  place,  we  stopped 
by  the  road  and  drank  at  a  spring  of  clearest 
water,  and,  as  there  were  plenty  of  Indians  about, 
whose  highest  wages  were  a  real  a  day,  with  the 
guide's  help  we  engaged  one,  giving  him  two 
reals  to  go  to  this  spring  for  some  water.  He 
was  away  about  an  hour,  just  about  the  time  nec- 
essary, received  his  pay,  and  departed  before  we 
tasted  the  water,  which  we  were  delighted  to  ob- 
tain. What  was  our  surprise  to  find  the  same 


A   SLEEPLESS  NIGHT.  IOI 

muddy,  disagreeable,  unhealthy  water  which  was 
right  at  hand  !  That  Indian  had  deceived  us  well. 
He  started  off  in  the  right  direction,  but  had 
come  back  and  stayed  by  the  spring  behind  the 
house,  and,  when  he  thought  sufficient  time  had 
elapsed,  had  dipped  up  the  water,  brought  it  to 
us,  and  received  pay  for  two  days'  work. 

The  place  where  we  were  to  spend  the  night 
was  an  open  shed  made  of  a  few  boughs  bound 
together  with  vines,  with  no  door,  with  no  cover- 
ing of  mud  or  thatching  for  the  roof,  and  with 
wide-open  spaces  where  we  looked  out  upon  the 
sky.  In  fact,  it  was  just  the  same  as  sleeping  out 
of  doors,  and  was  so  cold  from  the  high  elevation 
that  all  our  wraps  were  not  sufficient  to  keep  us 
warm.  We  repaired  to  our  hammocks  at  dark, 
the  guide  and  mozo  lying  on  the  ground  near 
by ;  but  for  us  there  was  no  sleep.  The  mules 
never  for  a  moment  ceased  champing  corn  all 
night ;  the  whole  drove  of  pigs  were  squealing, 
and  grunting,  and  running  about  the  shed  ;  and 
all  the  dogs  in  the  village,  in  numbers  more  than 
the  inhabitants,  were  barking  incessantly.  What 
wonder  that  in  that  dreary  spot,  during  the  hours 
of  that  sleepless  night,  one  of  us,  more  timid 


IO2  ASTIR  AGAIN, 

than  the  other,  heard  strange  noises,  and  half  be- 
lieved a  band  of  Indians  were  coming  to  over- 
power us,  as  they  might  easily  have  done,  and 
reaped  a  rich  harvest,  for  we  were  all  unarmed 
and  unprotected,  and  our  bags  contained  much 
money.  One  thing  we  know :  had  we  been  in 
Mexico  under  such  circumstances,  we  should 
never  have  seen  daylight  again.  Is  it  any  won- 
der, then,  that  we  have  an  affection  for  the  people 
of  Guatemala  ? 

Finally  we  concluded  it  was  no  use  to  try  longer 
to  sleep,  and,  though  it  was  not  quite  three  o'clock, 
decided  to  get  up.  We  called  the  guide,  who,  at 
the  word  "  senor,"  was  on  his  feet  to  do  our  bid- 
ding, as  amiable  and  ready  as  if  it  wrere  broad  day- 
light, and  we  had  not  disturbed  him  out  of  a 
sound  sleep.  He  immediately  began  to  rouse  the 
mozo,  which  was  not  so  easy  a  task ;  for  to  him  the 
ground  was  a  soft  couch,  and  he  was  sleeping 
soundly.  He  grunted  and  groaned,  and  was  fully 
fifteen  minutes  getting  on  his  feet  and  kindling  the 
pitch-pine  knots  for  a  light  in  the  darkness.  Me- 
lesio  also  aroused  the  woman  of  the  house  for 
our  coffee,  and  saddled  the  mules.  We  took  our 
coffee  and  tortillas  in  the  room  where  the  man  and 


LOOKING  FOR  DAWN.  1 03 

boy  of  the  family  were  still  sleeping.  We  gave 
the  woman  for  her  trouble  a  generous  fee,  with 
which  she  was  highly  pleased,  and  proceeded  to 
put  it  in  the  bed  under  her  sleeping  husband's 
head.  We  laughingly  told  her  not  to  put  it  there 
as  he  might  get  it,  and  it  was  money  she  had 
earned  herself.  She  appreciated  the  joke,  though 
it  was  told  mostly  by  gestures,  but  seemed  to  have 
true  ideas  of  the  matrimonial  relation,  and  was 
nothing  loath  to  trust  her  all  with  him. 

This  had  taken  but  little  time  and  we  were  soon 
ready  to  mount ;  but  knowing  we  were  on  the  top  of 
a  mountain,  we  dared  not  venture  in  the  blackness 
of  night,  and  even  our  fearless  guide,  so  accus- 
tomed to  the  road,  did  not  wish  to  start,  and  said 
the  way  was  steeper  and  narrower  than  we  had 
yet  seen.  How  anxiously  we  looked  for  dawn,  but 
no  light  came  ;  the  sky  was  bright  with  stars,  and 
the  glorious  constellation  of  the  Southern  Cross, 
our  only  reward  for  a  sleepless  night,  was  still 
above  the  horizon.  Each  time  our  fire  of  pitch- 
pine  knots  went  out  it  seemed  darker  than  before, 
and  we  could  only  wait  impatiently  for  day.  At 
last,  though  but  little  past  four,  we  ventured, 
hoping  the  dawn  would  soon  come  to  us  on  the 


104  AWFUL    GRANDEUR. 

way.  We  went  very  slowly,  in  the  dim  light 
hardly  able  to  see  each  other.  The  sunrise  was 
entirely  shut  out  by  the  great  mountains  surround- 
ing us,  but  gradually  the  light  of  day  came  and 
revealed  to  us  the  awfulness  of  our  situation.  We 
were  on  a  narrow  shelf  of  rock  overhanging  a 
terrible  precipice.  Words  utterly  fail  to  portray 
the  grandeur  and  awfulness  of  this  great  mountain 
gorge  through  which  we  were  riding.  The  path, 
on  the  very  side  of  a  high  mountain,  was  so  nar- 
row that  two  mules  could  barely  pass,  and  the 
overhanging  branches  of  the  trees  often  brushed 
against  us  with  such  force  as  almost  to  throw  us 
from  our  mules.  On  one  side  was  a  perfectly 
straight  wall  of  rock,  on  the  other  a  sheer  declivity 
of  hundreds  of  feet  as  straight  as  a  plummet  line. 
At  the  foot  of  the  precipice  a  mountain  stream 
roared  over  the  rocks,  its  deafening  noise  adding 
to  the  terrors  of  the  place,  and  from  it  arose 
another  chain  of  mountains,  seeming  to  hem  us  in 
completely,  with  no  hope  of  escape.  There  were 
many  bad  places  in  the  path,  some  so  frightful 
that  we  dismounted  and  walked ;  great  gulleys 
washed  out  by  the  water,  and  deep  cuts  covered 
with  loose  stones,  where  it  seemed  as  if  the  mule's 


"OUR  HEADS  FAIRLY   WHIRLED."  1 05 

feet  would  surely  slip  and  precipitate  us  to  a  sud- 
den death.  What  was  more  trying  still,  the  mules 
would  go  on  the  very  edge  overhanging  the  preci- 
pice, and  no  amount  of  reining  could  prevent  it. 
In  fact  if  we  reined  them  in  toward  the  wall  they 
would  stop  altogether ;  and  as  it  was  no  place  to 
have  a  tussle,  we  held  our  breath  and  let  them  have 
their  own  way.  One  false  step  or  the  least  crumb- 
ling of  the  earth  and  we  should  have  been  hurled 
to  the  awful  depth  below,  as  we  knew  had  hap- 
pened to  more  than  one  luckless  traveller  in  this 
place.  Melesio  went  ahead  very  calmly,  so  well 
known  and  familiar  a  place  having  no  terrors  for 
him.  In  one  spot  where  we  bent  sharply  around 
the  mountain,  and  the  path  was  scarcely  wide 
enough  for  the  mule's  feet,  he  turned  around  and 
told  us  to  look  down.  Our  heads  fairly  whirled  at 
a  mere  glance.  The  frightful  depth  was  enough 
to  make  the  strongest  nerves  quail  and  the  stout- 
est heart  faint.  Had  we  been  suddenly  trans- 
planted to  this  spot,  we  should  certainly  have  been 
paralyzed  with  terror  ;  but  as  it  was  we  rode  as  if 
under  a  spell,  not  realizing  until  afterwards  either 
the  dangers  or  the  magnificence  of  the  scene. 
Every  time  we  bent  around  the  mountain  we 


106  «NO  MAS 

hoped  to  see  the  road  descend,  but  still  we  went 
on  and  on  hour  after  hour,  and  we  were  so  weary 
after  a  sleepless  night,  so  worn  and  exhausted  with 
over  a  hundred  miles  in  the  saddle,  that  it  seemed 
as  if  we  should  never  get  down  from  the  danger- 
ous and  toilsome  height.  Finally,  about  ten 
o'clock,  the  path  gradually  descended,  then  broad- 
ened out,  a  brisk  trot  of  a  few  minutes  brought 
us  to  San  Antonio,  and  our  mule-back  was  done. 
How  thankful  we  were  to  see  a  carriage  awaiting 
us,  and  how  gladly  we  dismounted  for  the  last  time 
from  those  mules,  none  but  Melesio  Guerra  can 
ever  fully  appreciate.  He  understood  it  all,  and 
expressed  it  in  brief  but  forcible  Spanish,  "  No 
mas  mulas." 

In  the  family  with  whom  we  breakfasted  were 
several  very  beautiful  young  girls  ;  dark  of  course, 
but  with  perfect  features,  long,  abundant  hair,  and 
lustrous  black  eyes.  They  ministered  to  all  our 
wants  with  the  grace  and  politeness  so  character- 
istic of  the  Spanish. 

By  the  time  we  were  ready  to  start  the  mozo 
had  arrived.  My  father  gave  him  his  broad 
straw  hat  and  as  generous  a  fee  as  he  dared, 
advising  him  not  to  spend  it  for  "  chicha."  This 


MELESIO  LEAVES   US. 

kindness  was  too  much  even  for  an  Indian's  sto- 
lidity, and  his  whole  face  beamed  with  gratitude  as 
he  said,  "Dios  se  lo  paga"  ("God  will  pay  you"). 
Money  seemed  poor  return  for  Melesio's  kindness, 
but  was  our  only  means  of  recompense.  He  had 
proved  a 'most  valuable  and  efficient  guide  and 
friend,  and  will  have  our  lasting  gratitude.  He 
had  become  quite  attached  to  us  and  looked  sad 
at  parting,  giving  us  a  hearty  handshake  as  he 
said  "good-bye"  to  my  father  and  "adios  nina" 
to  me.  To  him  and  Emilio  Carranza,  these  two 
simple  but  noble  youths  of  Guatemala,  I  feel  that 
I  owe  the  greatest  debt  of  gratitude  of  my  whole 
life.  May  God  in  his  mercy  watch  over  and  pro- 
tect them  wherever  they  may  be  ! 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    CAPITAL. 

IT  was  only  a  short  ride  from  San  Antonio 
to  Guatemala  City.  The  carriage  which  met  us, 
like  everything  in  this  country,  was  peculiar ;  a 
covered  vehicle,  with  seats  arranged  as  in  an  om- 
nibus, drawn  by  four  little  mules  not  much  bigger 
than  rats,  and  about  as  ungovernable.  The 
driver  was  a  bright,  black-eyed  boy,  and  showed 
much  skill  in  managing  these  untamed  creatures. 
No  carriage  was  ever  so  welcome  as  that  one,  and 
it  was  well  for  us  that  its  owner  did  not  know  how 
we  valued  it,  for  my  father  was  so  tired  of  mule- 
back  that  he  declared  he  would  have  had  this 
carriage  for  that  short  time  if  it  had  taken  the 
last  cent  he  possessed. 

We  arrived  in   Guatemala  City  as  tired,  dusty, 

and   wretched    specimens    of    humanity   as    ever 

entered    its    gates.     Our   first    impressions    were 

those  of  astonishment   at  seeing  a  city   so  large, 

108 


"PEQUENA  PARIS."  1 09 

and  so  superior  to  anything  we  had  yet  seen  in 
the  country,  or  even  imagined  from  description. 

It  is  called,  on  account  of  its  prosperity,  the 
Paris  of  Central  America,  or,  as  they  say  there, 
"  Pequena  Paris."  It  is  situated  in  a  broad,  fertile 
valley,  almost  entirely  surrounded  by  deep  "  barran- 
cas," or  ravines,  and  has  an  elevation  of  five  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  seventy  feet  above  the  sea. 

The  climate  is  simply  perfect,  the  finest  in 
the  world.  It  is  neither  too  warm  nor  too  cold ; 
seldom  above  eighty  or  below  sixty  degrees,  with 
scarcely  ten  degrees  difference  between  winter 
and  summer,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  between 
the  rainy  and  dry  seasons.  It  is,  in  fact,  an  ideal 
climate,  just  adapted  for  gardens  of  roses  and  vio- 
lets the  year  round.  We  were  there  in  the 
dry  season,  and  it  was  a  luxury  we  appreciated 
never  to  have  to  wonder,  when  planning  an  expe- 
dition, if  the  weather  would  favor  us.  We  were 
sure  of  bright  sunshine  every  day.  The  rainy 
season  lasts  from  May  to  October,  and  we  were 
assured  by  those  living  there  that  it  is  not  at  all 
disagreeable.  They  have  no  long  dreary  rain- 
storms such  as  we  have  here,  but  at  about  the 
same  time  every  afternoon  a  tremendous  shower 


HO  A   PLEASANT  CITY. 

of  rain,  after  which  the  sky  is  clear  again.  Much 
is  said  by  every  traveller  to  Mexico  about  the  fine- 
ness of  the  climate ;  but  visiting  both  places  in  the 
same  winter,  we  had  an  excellent  chance  to  com- 
pare the  two,  and,  though  they  are  similar,  we 
pronounce  most  decidedly  in  favor  of  Guatemala 
as  being  both  more  healthful  and  agreeable. 

The  present  capital  was  built  in  1775,  after  the 
destruction  (by  an  earthquake)  of  the  former  cap- 
ital, now  called  Antigua,  and  has  a  population  of 
about  forty-five  thousand.  The  streets  are  wide, 
regular,  and  well  paved.  There  are  lines  of  horse- 
cars  running  to  all  parts,  and  just  the  night  before 
we  left  the  electric  light  was  introduced  for  light- 
ing the  city.  There  are  many  public  buildings, 
parks,  squares,  and  beautiful  gardens.  It  seemed 
to  us,  on  the  whole,  a  very  pleasant  city,  and  we 
enjoyed  a  two  weeks'  stay  there  very  much. 

The  houses,  though  mostly  of  one  story,  on 
account  of  the  earthquakes,  are  many  of  them 
large  and  comfortable.  The  architecture  of  the 
houses  is  that  of  southern  Spain.  They  are  all 
built  in  the  form  of  a  hollow  square,  and  the  in- 
terior court,  containing  trees  and  flowers,  is  often 
very  beautiful.  They  are  not  at  all  prepossess- 


OUR  HOST  AND  HOSTESS.  I  I  I 

ing  from  the  exterior,  presenting  to  the  street  a 
blank  white  wall  with  barred  windows  and  a  huge 
solid  door  like  that  of  a  prison  ;  but  the  moment 
the  door  is  opened  in  response  to  the  noise  of 
the  great  knocker,  the  visitor  is  ushered  into  the 
interior  court  and  into  a  scene  of  verdure  and 
beauty. 

We  stopped  at  the  "  Gran  Hotel,"  which  proved 
to  be  the  best  we  found  in  the  whole  journey. 
The  proprietors  were  Germans,  and  most  excel- 
lent gentlemen.  They  spoke  English,  and  we 
were  rejoiced  to  hear  it  once  more,  not  having 
heard  a  word  for  five  days,  except  what  we  spoke 
ourselves.  The  Germans  seem  to  be  wonderful 
linguists  ;  nearly  every  one  we  met  could  speak, 
besides  his  own  language,  English,  French,  Span- 
ish, and  Italian,  all  of  which  are  quite  essential 
to  one  doing  business  here,  it  is  such  a  cosmopoli- 
tan city.  In  the  dining-room  we  often  heard  all 
these  different  languages  from  the  tables  about 
us.  The  landlady  was  a  very  pleasant  young  Ger- 
man woman  ;  and  as  I  was  the  only  lady  in  the 
hotel,  she  took  compassion  on  my  situation,  and 
did  her  best  to  make  it  pleasant.  We  had  a  most 
amusing  time  trying  to  converse,  for  we  had  no 


112  THE  HOTEL'S  "PATIO." 

language  in  common.  She  knew  very  little  Eng- 
lish, I  knew  little  German,  and  neither  of  us  knew 
Spanish  well.  But  she  was  very  lively,  and  we 
made  up  in  laughing  what  we  lacked  in  conversa- 
tion, and  enjoyed  each  other  very  much. 

The  building  itself,  one  of  the  few  two-story 
houses  of  the  city,  is  very  beautiful.  It  was 
formerly  a  private  residence  of  a  very  wealthy 
family,  but  its  owner,  we  were  told,  was  banished 
by  Barrios  as  a  real  or  supposed  accomplice  in 
some  conspiracy,  and  now  the  daughters  who 
once  lived  in  this  really  palatial  home  are  poor 
seamstresses.  There  were  balconies  all  round 
the  interior,  overlooking  the  garden,  which  con- 
tained peach,  orange,  palm  trees,  beautiful  flow- 
ers, and  a  fountain,  also  some  little  green  paro- 
quets, and  a  lovely  little  blue-jay,  so  tame  that 
he  would  allow  his  head  to  be  stroked,  and  would 
even  perch  on  your  shoulder. 

The  fare  was  good,  and  to  us  seemed  excellent, 
for  we  were  actually  hungry.  The  order  of  meals 
is  entirely  different  from  ours,  as  well  as  the 
manner  of  serving.  From  7  to  8,  coffee  and  "  pan 
dulce,"  in  your  room  if  you  wish  ;  breakfast,  9:30 
to  ii  ;  dinner,  3:30  to  6.  For  breakfast  there 


A   BLA  CK  FED  A  G  O  G  UE.  I  1 3 

were  always  cold  meats,  salad,  eggs  (to  order), 
frijoles,  fried  plantains,  pancakes,  with  honey,  and 
coffee  or  chocolate.  For  dinner,  soup,  "  olla " 
(sort  of  boiled  dinner),  fish  or  game,  poultry, 
roast  beef,  "  dulce  "  (sweets),  fruit,  and  coffee  or 
chocolate.  The  chocolate  is  that  of  the  country, 
and  very  nice,  though  always  flavored  with  cin- 
namon. 

It  is  the  custom  to  serve  only  one  thing  at  a 
time,  and  this  is  rather  harassing  to  an  Ameri- 
can, especially  the  fact  that  it  is  impossible  to  get 
a  cup  of  coffee  until  everything  else  has  been 
removed.  Over  their  cup  of  coffee  the  gentlemen 
sit  and  smoke  at  their  leisure,  alternating  a  sip  of 
the  favorite  beverage  with  a  puff  of  their  cigar. 

A  colored  boy,  travelling  as  servant  to  an 
American  gentleman,  furnished  us  some  amuse- 
ment in  his  struggles  with  Spanish,  or  rather 
without  it,  for  he  couldn't  speak  a  word ;  and  as 
the  servants  of  the  hotel  spoke  nothing  else,  he 
had  rather  a  lonesome  time.  One  day  he  got  to- 
gether the  two  fellows  who  took  care  of  the  rooms 
(for  the  "  chambermaids "  are  all  men  in  this 
country),  and  proceeded  to  give  them  a  lesson  in 
English.  The  part  we  heard  was  quite  laughable. 


H4  KING   CARNIVAL. 

He  was  making  them  repeat,  over  and  over,  "  Me 
speak  English,"  and  "y-e-s  —  yes,"  though  what 
good  it  would  do  them  to  spell  this  one  word, 
when  they  could  neither  read  nor  spell  their  own 
language,  was  a  mystery. 

For  the  first  three  days  we  did  nothing  but  eat 
and  sleep,  being  completely  exhausted.  The  day 
after  our  arrival  (Sunday)  Carnival  began,  and  there 
was  little  inducement  for  us  to  go  out,  as  the  whole 
city  was  given  up  to  the  perfect  license  which 
reigns  during  the  three  days.  As  far  as  we  could 
observe,  Carnival  seemed  here  to  amount  to  very 
little,  except  a  perfect  "  bonanza  "  for  rude  boys, 
who  paraded  the  streets,  often  in  companies  of 
twenty  or  thirty,  throwing  at  everybody  indiscrim- 
inately, flour,  eggs,  paint,  and  showers  from 
squirt-guns,  with  which  they  were  all  armed. 
Many  of  the  ladies  shut  themselves  in  their 
houses  during  the  whole  time,  for  this  crowd  is 
no  respecter  of  persons.  One  night,  as  we  were 
watching  the  fun  from  the  roof  of  the  hotel,  we 
saw  the  Spanish  minister  and  wife,  just  entering 
the  theatre,  rudely  assaulted  by  a  company  of 
these  boys.  The  more  one  appears  vexed  at  this 
treatment,  the  worse  it  is  for  him.  The  best  way 


THE  AMERICAN  MINISTER.  1 1 5 

is  to  submit  calmly  and  quietly,  if  possible.  The 
police  give  orders  that  strangers  shall  not  be  mo- 
lested, but  still  one  can  never  feel  perfectly  sure, 
though  we  went  out  several  times  without  being 
at  all  troubled. 

After  Carnival  we  began  to  receive  many  callers, 
both  Germans  and  Americans,  particularly  the 
latter,  who  were  most  glad  to  welcome  some  of 
their  own  countrymen.  It  seemed  to  us  almost 
like  getting  home  to  meet  some  of  our  own  people 
once  more,  especially  a  few  from  good  New  Eng- 
land, and  I  found  most  pleasant  companions  in 
several  young  ladies  who  very  kindly  went  about 
with  me  sight-seeing,  showing  me  all  the  places 
of  interest,  their  knowledge  of  the  city  being  a 
great  advantage  to  me.  The  American  minister, 
Mr.  Hall,  and  his  family  received  us  most  cordially, 
entertained  us  many  times  at  their  house,  and  did 
all  in  their  power  to  make  our  stay  pleasant.  Mr. 
Hall  is  a  very  able  man,  and,  what  is  very  unusual 
and  speaks  highly  in  his  praise,  is  much  esteemed 
and  beloved  by  all,  both  natives  and  foreigners. 
He  has  lived  much  in  Spanish  countries,  and 
speaks  Spanish  as  well  as  English,  which  is 
a  very  great  advantage.  Mrs.  Hall  is  a  Cuban 


Il6  THE  MARKET. 

by  birth,  a  very  cultured  and  highly  esteemed 
lady. 

There  are  in  the  city  many  squares  and  gardens, 
one  in  particular  containing  a  fine  collection  of 
cactuses,  some  much  taller  than  a  man.  The  prin- 
cipal square  is  called  the  "  Plaza  Mayor,"  and  in- 
cludes, besides  the  governmental  buildings,  the 
great  cathedral,  a  fine  imposing  building,  similar  to 
the  cathedral  of  Mexico,  and,  like  it,  built  by  the 
Spaniards. 

The  market,  which  so  interested  us  in  every 
town,  was  here  a  large  building,  the  centre  being 
occupied  by  the  Indian  women,  selling  all  sorts  of 
provisions,  and  the  exterior  surrounded  by  little 
booths  in  which  were  sold  all  kinds  of  fabrics  made 
by  the  Indians,  as  well  as  many  cheap  imported 
articles  which  the  Indians  buy.  It  was  always  a 
busy  and  interesting  scene,  though  we  saw  some 
curious  and  anything  but  agreeable  sights  ;  for 
instance,  in  the  pauses  of  trade,  women  nursing 
their  babes  or  searching  industriously  the  heads  of 
their  children  with  a  large,  coarse,  wooden  comb. 
None  of  these  traders  ever  have  any  paper  with 
which  to  do  up  a  bundle,  but  instead  there  are  all 
through  the  market  young  girls  with  baskets  on 


TIRELESS  SERVITORS.  I  I/ 

their  heads,  whose  business  it  is  to  carry  your  pur- 
chases for  you.  There  is  no  difficulty  in  having 
this  sort  of  express  ;  for  there  is  a  host  of  girls, 
and  as  soon  as  you  enter  the  market  they  besiege 
you  for  a  job.  They  will  follow  you  about  for  half 
a  day  if  you  like,  direct  you  where  to  go,  advise 
you  what  to  buy,  and  then,  when  you  have  finished, 
carry  the  whole  to  the  hotel  for  five  cents.  One 
thing  we  learned  about  shopping,  with  everybody 
else  who  comes  here,  never  to  give  more  than  half 
what  is  first  charged.  Bartering,  however  dis- 
agreeable it  may  seem,  is  absolutely  essential 
here.  Indeed  if  you  do  not  do  it,  the  Indians 
themselves  laugh  at  you  and  call  you  "  green 
Americans." 

There  are  many  fine  churches,  built  by  the 
Spaniards  ;  in  fact,  with  the  exception  of  Mexico, 
they  are  the  finest  in  Spanish  America.  The  ex- 
terior is  beautifully  ornamented,  and  the  interior 
contains  magnificent  altars,  beautiful  paintings 
and  frescoes,  and  many  images  of  Christ,  Mary 
and  innumerable  saints.  Some  of  these  images 
are  very  beautiful,  but  the  greater  portion  repre- 
sent the  agonies  of  Christ,  and  are  painful  to 
contemplate. 


I  1 8  RISE   OF  THE  LIBERALS. 

These  churches  were  established  in  the  six- 
teenth century,  by  the  Jesuits,  who  became  very 
corrupt  and  powerful,  getting  everything,  property 
and  government,  under  their  control.  In  1870, 
with  the  rise  of  the  "  Liberal  Party,"  their  power 
began  to  be  broken,  and  when  Barrios  became 
President,  in  1872,  he  declared  the  order  extinct, 
broke  up  the  monasteries,  banishing  and  killing 
many  priests  and  nuns,  and  confiscating  all  their 
property.  This  he  recognized  as  absolutely  essen- 
tial if  Guatemala  was  to  be  anything  of  a  power 
or  have  any  place  among  other  nations.  Under 
the  then  existing  state  of  affairs  no  commerce  or 
enterprise  was  possible,  no  business  men  would 
engage  in  any  pursuits  there,  and  a  country  with 
rich  resources  and  wonderful  possibilities  was 
lying  stagnant,  corrupt  and  powerless. 

But  although  the  power  of  the  order  is  broken 
the  religion  still  exists  and  has  its  hold  on  the 
people.  Even  those  who  have  renounced  the  faith, 
and  glory  in  the  name  of  "  Infidel,"  are  at  heart 
Catholics  still. 

There  is  one  small  Protestant  mission  in  the 
city,  the  only  one  in  the  country.  It  has  been 
started  but  a  few  years,  but  has  been  the  most  sue- 


A   PROTESTANT  MISSION.  HQ 

cessful  mission  ever  planted  in  Spanish  America. 
The  minister  is  a  very  able  man  from  central  New 
York,  There  is  also  connected  with  the  church  a 
mission  school,  which  has  attracted  the  people  on 
account  of  their  anxiety  to  learn  English.  Both 
the  church  and  the  school  received  the  hearty  sup- 
port of  Barrios  ;  not  so  much  because  he  favored 
this  form  of  religion  as  because  he  recognized  in 
it  a  civilizing  and  progressive  power,  the  power 
he  admired  above  all  others.  To  show  his  approval, 
he  even  went  so  far  as  to  send  his  own  children 
for  a  time  to  the  school,  and  in  every  way  helped 
and  encouraged  it.  Since  he  favored  it  no  one 
dared  offer  any  opposition,  for  his  word  was  law ; 
but  the  people  called  it  in  derision  a  "  Protestante- 
ria  "  (a  shop  for  making  Protestants). 

Guatemala  has,  comparatively  speaking,  good 
schools  throughout  the  country,  but  especially  at 
the  capital,  where  many  come  to  be  educated. 
President  Barrios  made  a  law  that  every  Indian 
should  learn  to  read  and  write,  though  there  were 
not  many  to  support  him  in  this  good  work.  One 
German  lady  expressed  her  opposition  in  the 
strongest  terms.  She  said,  "  It  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  get  any  servants  now,  for  they  are  all  in 


1 20  GUA  TEMALAN  SCHOOLS. 

the  schools  !  What  does  an  Indian  want  to  learn 
to  read  and  write  for  ?  It'll  never  do  him  any 
good." 

There  are  two  large  "  colegios "  in  this  city,  a 
visit  to  which  proved  very  interesting.  They  were 
formerly  extensive  convents,  but  Barrios  con- 
verted them  into  schools.  All  the  appointments 
are  complete;  there  are  maps,  charts,  diagrams, 
and  apparatus  requisite  for  a  good  thorough  ad- 
vanced education.  Of  course  they  are  not  equal 
to  ours,  but  are  fine  for  the  country.  Both  schools 
are  provided  with  large  courts  for  out  of  door 
recreation,  an  ample  hall  and  gymnasium.  At- 
tached to  the  boys'  school,  which  is  the  largest 
and  numbers  about  three  hundred  pupils,  is  a 
fine  large  museum,  containing  a  valuable  collec- 
tion ;  a  zoological  garden,  containing  all  the  birds 
and  animals  of  the  country  ;  and  another  garden, 
full  of  rare  and  beautiful  trees,  plants,  and 
flowers. 

The  city  has  quite  a  large,  handsome  theatre,  and 
we  went  one  evening  in  company  with  the  Ameri- 
can minister's  family.  A  French  opera  company 
was  there  for  the  season,  and  they  received  a  sub- 
sidy of  $20,000  from  the  government.  The  play 


AT  THE   OPERA.  121 

was  not  specially  enjoyable,  but  the  whole  scene 
was  interesting,  the  arrangement  of  the  theatre 
being  very  different  from  ours.  The  main  body 
of  the  house  was  occupied  entirely  by  men,  and,  it 
is  needless  to  say,  was  completely  emptied  between 
acts.  The  rest  of  the  house  is  made  up  of  boxes, 
spaces  partitioned  off,  seating  either  five  or  six 
persons.  The  American  minister's  box,  in  which 
we  sat,  was  in  the  first  balcony ;  that  of  President 
Barrios  on  the  first  floor,  facing  the  stage.  There 
were  many  fine  toilettes  —  for  the  ladies  go  in  full 
dress,  and  the  foreigners  and  natives  of  the 
wealthiest  class  dress  very  elegantly,  having  their 
costumes  direct  from  Paris.  Mrs.  Barrios  was 
present  with  one  of  her  governesses,  and  looked 
very  beautiful,  attired  in  a  rich  silk  and  resplen- 
dent with  diamonds. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

A    BULL    FIGHT. 

VERY  soon  after  our  arrival  in  Guatemala  we 
heard  much  of  the  great  national  Spanish  amuse- 
ment, the  bull  fight,  which  occurred  every  afternoon 
at  four  o'clock  during  Carnival,  although  it  usu- 
ally took  place  only  on  Sundays.  These  were  to 
be  the  last  of  the  season,  as  Lent  began  immedi- 
ately after  Carnival.  Our  friend  the  proprietor  of 
the  river  steamers  was  still  in  Guatemala,  and 
offered  to  serve  as  escort  if  we  wished  to  go,  but 
added  that  we  should  probably  be  disappointed, 
as  there  was  usually  very  little  excitement  attend- 
ing a  bull  fight,  that  the  bulls  were  quite  tame, 
and  the  killing  of  them  a  most  brutal  exhibition, 
which  none  but  a  Spaniard  could  enjoy;  still,  as 
we  had  never  been,  and  it  was  the  great  national 
sport,  we  ought  to  go.  This  and  this  alone  was 
our  reason  for  going.  With  a  desire  to  learn  as 
much  as  possible  of  the  character  and  customs  of 

122 


VICTIMS  OF  CARNIVAL.  123 

the  people,  we  felt  that  this  their  characteristic 
institution  could  not  be  overlooked.  This  zeal  for 
knowledge,  however,  was  very  severely  punished, 
for  the  witnessing  of  this  barbarous  spectacle  was 
a  most  painful  experience. 

Since  it  was  Carnival  we  were  cautioned  not  to 
wear  anything  that  water,  ink,  or  flour  would  spoil. 
This  caution,  in  our  case,  was  entirely  unneces- 
sary, as  the  mozos  with  our  luggage  had  not  yet 
arrived,  and  the  suits  worn  in  the  long  ride  had 
become  so  dilapidated  and  discolored  as  to  present 
no  temptations  to  the  players  at  Carnival,  who  left 
us  quite  unmolested. 

As  we  came  in  sight  of  the  "  Plaza  de  Toros  " 
we  saw  a  large  crowd  of  people  and  a  great  many 
policemen  near  one  of  the  windows  where  tickets 
were  sold,  and  heard  the  English  language  spoken 
in  the  loudest  and  most  vehement  manner.  As 
we  came  nearer  we  saw  the  cause  of  all  this  tumult 
to  be  two  young  Americans,  from  Massachusetts, 
evidently  thoroughly  enraged.  They  were  covered 
completely  from  head  to  foot  with  flour,  water,  and 
gorgeous  paint,  and,  with  coats  off  and  fists  doubled 
up,  were  gesticulating  wildly  as  they  poured  forth 
a  torrent  of  angry  words.  But  they  might  just  as 


124  A   RELIC  OF  BARBARISM. 

well  have  been  talking  to  "  stocks  and  stones,"  for 
not  one  in  that  crowd  understood  a  single  word 
they  said.  As  we  came  up  one  of  them  was  just 
saying,  in  the  most  forcible  manner  of  which  the 
English  language  is  capable,  that  "  if  he  could  not 
walk  the  streets  without  being  assaulted  in  that 
manner,  he  would  know  the  reason  then  and  there, 
if  he  had  to  lick  the  whole  Republic."  We  got 
their  attention  at  once  by  a  word  of  English,  and 
explained  that  this  was  merely  the  custom  in  Car- 
nival, and  that  it  was  better  to  take  it  all  quietly 
and  good-naturedly  than  to  undertake  the  annihi- 
lation of  Guatemala.  Thereupon  they  calmed 
down,  bought  their  tickets,  and  went  inside. 

This  is  an  illustration  of  the  great  courtesy  and 
patience  shown  to  strangers  by  the  officials  —  far 
greater  than  that  practised  in  our  own  country  — 
for  if  it  had  been  natives  making  such  a  disturb- 
ance they  would  have  been  locked  up  immediately. 

The  arena  is  after  the  same  model  as  the  old 
Greek  and  Roman  amphitheatres,  for  the  Spaniard 
inherited  this  custom  from  his  Roman  ancestors, 
the  bull  fight  being  the  only  representative  at 
present  of  the  old  gladiatorial  combats. 

The  building  is  circular,  about  fifteen  feet  high, 


A    GAY  THRONG.  125 

of  the  same  material  as  the  houses,  but  gorgeously 
painted  with  red,  and  decorated  with  flags.  A 
band  of  music  plays  outside  while  the  gay  throng 
is  assembling,  and  crowds  of  soldiers  and  police- 
men are  seen  with  something  of  a  feeling  of  relief, 
for  a  spell  of  horror  comes  upon  one  even  on  ap- 
proaching the  place. 

Inside  is  the  large  circular  ring,  the  place  of  the 
combat,  open  to  the  sky  but  enclosed  by  a  mod- 
erately high  fence,  in  front  of  which  are  placed 
at  intervals  wooden  guards,  and  behind  these 
the  fighters  may  retreat  when  hotly  pursued  by 
the  bull.  The  seats  are  raised  as  in  a  circus  or 
theatre,  and  the  uppermost  circle  of  seats  is  roofed 
over  so  as  to  be  sheltered  from  the  sun,  and  for 
these  an  extra  price  is  charged. 

The  ring  was  capable  of  seating  three  or 
four  thousand  people,  and  the  throng  gathered 
there  included  the  wealth  and  aristocracy  of  the 
city  as  well  as  the  poorer  classes ;  but,  what 
seemed  most  surprising,  parents  came  bringing 
their  little  innocent  children  to  witness  this  brutal 
spectacle.  The  wealthy  ladies  were  dressed  ele- 
gantly ;  the  whole  audience  had  a  holiday  air,  and 
seemed  to  be  in  just  the  liveliest  and  happiest 


126  THE  ACTORS. 

mood.     There  was  never  a  more  brilliant  throng 
than  assembles  at  a  Spanish  bull  fight. 

When  the  time  arrived  for  the  performance  to 
begin,  the  band  took  its  place  inside,  and  the  crowd, 
in  which  the  boy  element  was  conspicuous,  showed 
its  impatience  by  stamping  feet,  clapping  hands, 
and  the  usual  demonstrations  shown  in  our  thea- 
tres.    Finally  the  gate  opened  and  the  company 
entered  amid  music  from  the  band.    The  company 
consisted    of    six   performers  on   foot,   gorgeously 
dressed  in  tight-fitting  suits  of  red,  green,  blue,  or 
crimson,   richly  trimmed  with  lace  and  gilt,  with 
little  black  velvet  caps,  white  stockings,  and  long 
capes    of   two    colors   draped    gracefully  over  the 
shoulder.       Next    came   two    men,    called    "  pica- 
dores,"  on  horse-back,  also  richly  dressed,  and  bear- 
ing long  pikes.     Behind  them  came  three  mules, 
all  of  the  same  size,  harnessed  together,  furnished 
with  jingling  bells,  gayly  caparisoned  with  saddles 
of  red  and  white,  and  driven  by  several  boys  crack- 
ing  enormously  long  whip-lashes.     They  coursed 
the  ring,  presenting  a  brilliant  appearance  ;  the  per- 
formers made  a  low  bow  to  the  master  of  ceremo- 
nies, and  then  all  withdrew  except  the  six  actors, 
one  of  whom  repaired  to  a  side  door  to  await  the 


TORTURING    THE  BULL.  I2/ 

coming  of  the  bull,  doubtless  with  far  less  trepida- 
tion than  we  felt,  who  were  witnessing  our  first 
bull  fight. 

The  animal  came  with  a  plunge,  and  this  man 
threw  into  his  back  a  barbed  wire,  surmounted  by 
a  gay  bouquet  of  tissue  paper.  The  bull  dashed 
for  the  men  in  the  ring,  who  slipped  dexterously 
out  of  the  way,  and,  as  soon  as  he  became  a  little 
calmer,  waved  their  gay-colored  capes  in  front  of 
him.  Then  the  riders  came  in  to  excite  him  fur- 
ther by  goading  him  with  their  long  spears.  This 
use  of  horses  is  one  of  the  very  worst  features,  for 
the  poor  things  are  blindfolded  and  are  forced  by 
their  riders  up  to  the  very  horns  of  the  bull, 
where  they  are  completely  at  his  mercy,  and  are 
often  killed.  , 

The  next  performance  was  the  thrusting  of  the 
"  banderillas," — long  darts  gayly  adorned  with 
tissue  paper,  which  were  thrown,  two  at  a  time, 
into  his  shoulders.  All  this  was  to  infuriate  the 
bull,  but  this  poor  creature  seemed  very  tame,  and, 
after  chasing  some  of  the  men  until  they  disap- 
peared behind  their  wooden  guards,  looked  about 
in  a  dazed,  helpless  way,  that  was  truly  pitiful, 
evidently  suffering  pain,  with  blood  streaming 


128  A    WONDERFUL  FEAT. 

down  his  sides  from  the  darts.  The  audience, 
however,  felt  no  sympathy  for  him,  only  great 
derision  because  he  was  no  fiercer,  and  kept  crying, 
"otro  toro,  otro  toro "  ("another  bull,  another 
bull"),  and  calling  for  "la  musica"  to  enliven  their 
flagging  spirits.  Still  the  actors  tried  to  enrage 
him  by  waving  before  him  their  colored  capes,  and 
the  horsemen  would  frequently  goad  him  with  the 
long  pike,  until  our  only  wish  was  that  they  would 
kill  him  and  put  him  out  of  his  misery. 

The  killing  of  the  bull  is  really  a  skilful  and 
wonderful  feat,  when  well  done.  The  weapon 
used  is  a  sword  about  two  and  a  half  feet  long, 
and  the  actor  has  to  conform  to  certain  conditions. 
He  cannot  take  the  bull  unawares,  the  bull  must  be 
in  a  position  on  the  offensive,  coming  to  attack 
him,  and  the  sword  must  be  plunged  in  a  particular 
spot  back  of  the  head  and  in  front  of  the  fore 
shoulder,  so  as  to  pass  through  the  heart.  After 
the  bull  becomes  somewhat  weary,  the  "matador" 
prepares  to  kill  him.  The  red  cape  waved  in  front 
of  him  attracts  his  attention  and  he  makes  a  rush 
for  the  man,  who,  without  stirring  from  his  posi- 
tion, as  the  bull's  head  is  lowered  to  toss  him  in 
the  air,  dexterously  moves  his  body  sideways  to 


THE   "MATADOR."  1 29 

clear  the  bull's  horns,  plunges  the  sword  as  quick 
as  a  flash,  and  gets  out  of  the  way. 

The  "matador"  in  this  instance  was  most  skil- 
ful, and  quick  as  lightning  plunged  the  sword  to 
its  hilt  through  the  heart.  The  bull  stopped  in 
twice  his  length,  and  fell  dead.  Then  the  gayly 
harnessed  mules  were  driven  in  on  a  run,  and  the 
lifeless  body  was  dragged  quickly  around  the  cir- 
cuit of  the  ring,  and  finally  through  the  door,  in 
the  midst  of  cracking  whips,  jingling  bells,  gay 
music,  and  tremendous  applause. 

This  performance  is  usually  repeated  until  four 
bulls  are  killed,  with  no  variation  except  what  the 
disposition  of  the  bull  provides.  At  this  fight  the 
second  bull  was  lively  enough  to  upset  a  horse 
and  rider  occasionally ;  but  the  third  one  was  of  an 
entirely  different  character,  such  as  is  rarely  wit- 
nessed. He  came  into  the  ring  with  rage  and  fury, 
as  if  bent  upon  avenging  the  unjust  death  of  the 
other  two,  plunging  through  the  gate  as  soon  as 
it  was  open ;  so  quickly  that  the  performer  failed 
to  thrust  the  wired  bouquet.  But  there  was  no 
need  of  goading  or  torturing  to  excite  his  wrath, 
and  the  actors  themselves  seemed  to  have  a 
wholesome  fear  of  him.  It  was  some  time  before 


13°  MASTER   OF  THE  SITUATION. 

they  got  an  opportunity  to  throw  the  "  banderil- 
las,"  and  when  the  first  two  tore  into  his  flesh  he 
stopped  short,  shook  his  body  to  try  to  get  rid 
of  them,  pawing  the  ground  and  frothing  at  the 
mouth  in  his  rage.  As  one  of  the  horsemen  ven- 
tured to  ride  toward  him,  the  bull  made  a  rush, 
struck  the  horse  in  the  side,  disembowelling  him, 
and  throwing  the  rider  to  the  ground.  Then, 
without  slackening  his  speed,  he  rushed  at  the 
other  horse,  turned  him  head  over  heels,  and 
threw  the  rider  ten  feet  into  the  air.  The  man  fell 
flat  on  his  back  with  great  violence,  and  lay  there 
stunned,  at  the  mercy  of  the  bull.  He  was  then 
the  only  man  in  the  ring,  all  the  others  having 
retreated  behind  their  guards ;  but  one  of  them 
quickly  appeared,  to  attract  the  bull's  attention. 
As  the  bull  rushed  for  him  he  dexterously  stepped 
aside,  and  ran  as  fast  as  he  could ;  but  just  as  he 
was  going  to  jump  behind  the  guard,  he  was 
caught  on  the  horns  of  the  bull,  and  thrown  vio- 
lently. He  was  carried  out  of  the  ring,  still  alive, 
but  died  from  his  injuries  next  day.  The  bull 
then  returned  to  his  first  victim,  still  lying 
stunned  on  the  ground,  drove  his  horns  into  the 
man's  head  and  killed  him,  thus  proving  himself 


A    WANTON  SACRIFICE.  131 

master  of  the  situation  by  the  death  of  two  men 
and  one  horse. 

This  fearful  tragedy,  as  far  as  we  could  ob- 
serve, had  no  particular  effect  upon  the  audi- 
ence, which  seemed  entirely  unmoved  by  any 
feelings  of  horror  or  pity.  The  killing  of  the 
bull  was  not  attempted.  Instead,  he  was  las- 
sooed,  bound  with  ropes,  and  removed  from  the 
ring.  It  was  then  our  dinner  hour ;  and  having 
seen  already  too  much,  we  withdrew,  assured  by 
our  friend  that  we  had  witnessed  a  genuine  bull 
fight. 

After  the  performance  it  is  customary  to  raffle 
for  the  bodies  of  the  slain  bulls,  the  numbers 
of  the  reserved  seats  being  placed  in  a  hat, 
and  four  drawn  out.  Then  the  ring  is  given 
up  to  the  audience,  several  bulls  are  let  in,  and 
the  boys  and  any  who  wish  go  in  and  amuse 
themselves. 

As  to  the  moral  effects  on  a  nation  of  such  a 
barbarous  institution  as  the  bull  fight,  it  is  quite 
unnecessary  to  speak.  The  fact  that  an  audience 
of  men,  women,  and  children,  can  not  only  con- 
template with  calmness,  but  actually  enjoy  seeing 
an  animal  goaded  and  tortured,  and  finally  killed, 


132  THE  SPAXISH   VIEW. 

to  see  noble  horses  wantonly  sacrificed,  and  even 
human  life  recklessly  thrown  away,  shows  a  hor- 
rible and  almost  incredible  condition  of  society. 
How  a  Spaniard  can  enjoy  it  —  and  none  but  a 
Spaniard  can  —  is  beyond  the  comprehension  of 
any  other  human  being!  Equally  difficult  is  it 
to  appreciate  the  manner  in  which  this  amuse- 
ment is  aggrandized  by  the  Spaniards.  It  is  con- 
sidered a  profession  worthy  of  all  the  respect  and 
admiration  given  to  any  branch  of  the  arts.  There 
are  certain  prescribed  laws  which  all  the  actors 
must  obey,  and  every  matador  is  criticised  as  care- 
fully as  a  star  actor  or  opera  singer  in  America. 
But  the  Spaniard  alone  regards  this  sport  as  an 
art.  For  an  American,  with  any  feeling  whatever, 
there  is  no  more  shocking  or  harrowing  specta- 
cle than  a  bull  fight.  The  feelings  of  indignation, 
horror,  and  disgust,  excited  in  one  first  witnessing 
a  bull  fight  are  beyond  description,  or  even  the 
power  of  imagination.  No  wonder  that  in  lands 
where  bull  fights  occur  revolutions  are  frequent, 
and  human  life  is  esteemed  of  but  little  value. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  soon  become  a 
thing  of  the  past,  and  it  seems  strange  that  they 
have  not  long  ago  become  so.  There  is  a  slight 


A   NEEDED  REFORM.  133 

move  in  this  direction.  In  Spain,  the  laws  pro- 
hibit the  establishment  of  any  new  arenas,  and  in 
Mexico  they  are  prohibited  altogether  in  what  is 
called  the  "  Federal  District,"  in  which  the  City  of 
Mexico  is  situated  ;  but  within  a  few  miles  of  the 
city  they  are  held,  and  the  immense  number  of 
vehicles  of  all  kinds,  besides  large  numbers  of 
horse-cars,  and  numerous  horsemen  who  eagerly 
repair  to  the  spot,  shows  most  eloquently  the  hold 
this  barbarous  amusement  has  on  most  of  the 
people.  Foreigners  generally  witness  one  bull 
fight,  but  rarely  care  to  see  the  performance 
repeated. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

ANTIGUA    AND    A    BURIED    CITY. 

THIRTY  miles  from  Guatemala  are  the  sites  of 
the  two  former  capitals,  one  buried  by  an  eruption 
from  the  volcano  "  Agua  "  in  1541,  the  other  de- 
stroyed by  earthquake  in  1775.  A  regular  coach, 
or  "  diligencia,"  as  it  is  called,  runs  there  from 
Guatemala ;  but  the  pleasanter  way  is  to  hire  a 
team  and  start  early  in  the  morning,  for  the  ride 
is  a  long,  hot,  and  dusty  one. 

We  started  at  half-past  five  in  the  morning,  in 
company  with  a  gentleman  and  his  wife  whose 
acquaintance  we  made  in  Guatemala.  The  best 
team  we  could  obtain  was  the  same  one  in  which 
we  had  come  from  San  Antonio.  We  had  the 
same  youthful  driver,  but  two  stout  mules,  instead 
of  the  little,  black,  rat-like  creatures  we  had  before. 

The  ride  in  the  fresh  morning  air  was  delight- 
ful. We  passed  one  of  the  most  beautiful  gardens 
of  the  city ;  the  "  Castello,"  a  great  Spanish 


A  BUSY  SCENE.  135 

castle   on   a   high    hill ;   and   thence  by  a   broad, 
smooth  driveway  through  the  gates  of  the  city. 

At  this  time  of  the  day  the  road  was  thronged 
with  Indians  loaded  with  all  sorts  of  merchandise, 
wood,  vegetables,  fruit,  pottery,  hay,  coal,  every- 
thing needed  in  the  capital,  to  which  they  were 
going  from  the  little  villages  all  around  to  sell 
their  supplies  in  the  market.  They  always  go 
in  groups  ;  the  men  by  themselves  and  the  women 
by  themselves,  a  man  and  a  woman  never  walking 
together  unless  married.  The  men  always  bear 
the  burdens  on  their  backs  ;  the  women  on  their 
heads,  their  backs  usually  being  pre-occupied  by 
the  inevitable  baby,  for  the  baby  is  never  left  at 
home.  Whether  the  mother  is  going  to  market  to 
sell  goods,  to  church  to  hear  mass,  or  to  a  funeral 
to  weep  in  the  procession,  the  baby  always  goes 
too ;  and,  what  seemed  most  strange  to  us,  we 
never  once,  in  all  the  time  we  were  there,  heard 
an  Indian  baby  cry.  They  seem  to  be  born  into 
the  world  as  old  as  their  fathers  and  mothers. 
We  never  saw  children  laughing  and  running  and 
playing  as  our  children  do ;  they  were  always 
grave  and  serious,  as  if  they  had  the  burden  of 
years  and  grave  responsibilities  resting  on  their 


136  A   RARE   GARDEN. 

shoulders.  Both  boys  and  girls  begin  to  work 
as  soon  as  they  can  walk,  and  never  seem  to 
expect  or  wish  for  any  fun  or  play  as  children 
here  do. 

We  passed  through  Indian  villages  like  those 
with  which  we  were  already  familiar.  Half  way 
to  Antigua  we  stopped  at  a  beautiful  place  where 
a  tolerable  breakfast  can  be  obtained.  There 
is  a  large  garden  here  of  rare  and  beautiful 
plants  and  flowers.  From  this  time  there  was 
little  pleasure  to  be  obtained  from  the  drive ; 
it  was  very  warm,  the  dust  rose  in  clouds  so 
thick  that  we  could  not  see  even  the  tails  of  the 
mules,  and  we  were  almost  suffocated.  About 
eleven  o'clock  we  arrived  in  the  ruined  city  of 
Antigua,  and  drove  up  to  the  hotel  "  Comercio," 
which  is  kept  by  natives,  a  family  specially  notice- 
able for  their  great  beauty,  the  dusky  beauty  of 
the  tropics. 

Antigua  is  situated  in  a  fertile,  well-watered 
valley,  richer  and  more  beautiful  than  the  one  in 
which  the  present  capital  is,  for  that  is  almost 
entirely  surrounded  by  deep  ravines,  so  that  the 
water  runs  off,  and  the  city  has  to  be  supplied  by 
means  of  aqueducts  bringing  water  into  fountains. 


ANTIGUA.  137 

It  is  believed  by  the  people  that  these  great  ra- 
vines would  so  break  the  force  of  an  earthquake 
as  to  save  the  present  capital  from  the  fate  of 
its  predecessor. 

At  the  time  of  its  destruction,  Antigua  was  one 
of  the  finest  and  richest  cities  in  Spanish  Amer- 
ica, possessing  twenty  monasteries,  one  hundred 
churches,  fine  public  buildings,  and  over  sixty 
thousand  inhabitants.  In  this  vicinity  live  the 
most  superior  tribe  of  Indians,  those  who  make 
the  finest  pottery,  do  the  richest  embroidery  and 
most  exquisite  carving.  The  city  has  been  partly 
rebuilt,  and  many  people  still  live  here ;  but  the 
whole  aspect  is  that  of  a  ruined  city.  Every- 
where are  shattered  houses,  tottering  walls,  and 
crumbling  churches.  The  whole  has  a  sad, 
gloomy  aspect,  and  is  the  mere  ghost  of  the 
former  queen  of  this  richest  and  most  beautiful 
portion  of  Central  America. 

The  ruins  of  the  churches  are  most  interesting, 
especially  that  of  the  largest,  the  great  monastery 
of  the  Capuchin  monks,  a  magnificent  build- 
ing, with  enormous  domes,  arches,  pillars,  and 
most  elaborate  ornamentation.  The  power  of  the 
earthquake  was  well  demonstrated  in  the  tumble- 


A    WEIRD   RULY. 

down  walls,  immense  cracks,  and  huge  masses 
precipitated  to  the  ground.  Every  arch  is  broken, 
every  capital  fallen,  every  window  shattered,  every 
column  decayed,  and  flowers  and  cactus  are  grow- 
ing everywhere.  Much  of  the  building  has  entirely 
disappeared,  its  boundary  being  marked  only  by 
a  low  line  of  white,  but  there  are  countless  rooms 
left,  and  we  wandered  about  for  an  hour  or  more 
through  the  dreary,  empty  spaces.  It  seemed  as 
if  in  the  vast  cloisters  the  shades  of  the  old  friars 
still  lingered,  and  we  could  almost  hear  the  mo- 
notonous chant  which  had  so  many  times  rilled 
the  spacious  rooms.  Under  this  spell  we  were 
really  startled  by  being  suddenly  confronted  by  a 
priestly  form.  A  second  glance  revealed,  how- 
ever, only  a  wax  figure  in  priestly  robes  —  Igna- 
tius, the  patron  saint  of  the  church  ;  but  it  was  so 
very  lifelike  that  every  one  of  us  had  started  back 
at  the  first  glance.  In  this  monastery,  severest 
penance  was  performed,  and  unbelievers  were 
most  rigorously  punished,  sometimes  roasted  over 
hot  coals,  or  walled  up  in  cells.  Many  of  these 
cells,  having  only  a  small  hole  at  the  top  to  admit 
a  little  air  and  a  morsel  of  bread,  are  still  to  be 
seen,  and  were  pointed  out  to  us  by  our  guide. 


OUR  LITTLE   CICERONE.  139 

After  this  we  visited  the  church,  of  San 
Francisco,  a  part  of  which  was  razed  to  the 
ground,  but  the  front  was  still  standing,  though 
much  shaken,  full  of  cracks  and  with  headless  and 
limbless  images.  Much  of  the  adornment,  both 
inside  and  outside  of  this  church,  is  very  beautiful. 
At  the  left  is  a  portion  in  which  worship  is  still 
held,  and  beneath  one  image  representing  Christ 
in  the  agonies  of  death  were  wax  models  of  parts 
of  the  body,  offered  by  devotees  of  the  church, 
who,  if  they  have  a  disease  in  any  portion  of  the 
body,  buy  these  wax  representations  from  the 
priest  and  bring  them  to  this  image,  expecting 
thus  to  be  miraculously  healed.  This  is  one  of 
the  old  practices  of  the  , times  before  Luther's 
Reformation. 

We  were  even  more  interested  in  our  guide 
than  in  the  ruin,  for  he  was  the  brightest  little 
black-eyed  boy,  who  showed  us  all  over  the  vast 
old  monastery  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm,  talk- 
ing all  the  while  as  fast  as  he  could.  Above  all 
else  he  took  especial  pride  in  the  bell,  which  he 
seemed  to  think  must  be  the  greatest  wonder  to 
us.  He  kept  constantly  saying,  "la  campana,  la 
campana,"  and  urging  us  to  go  and  see.  But  we 


14°  AGUA   AND  FUEGO. 

were  too  lazy  to  climb  a  step-ladder  and  mount  a 
crumbling  staircase. for  nothing  but  the  most  or- 
dinary bell,  so  we  tried  to  satisfy  him  with  pre- 
tended admiration  of  it  from  the  solid  ground. 

Antigua  is  well  worth  a  visit  just  for  the  magni- 
ficent view  one  sees  from  the  Plaza.  In  this  part 
of  the  country  the  mountain  chain  reaches  its 
greatest  height ;  and  as  one  stands  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  Plaza,  his  whole  view  is  bounded  by 
these  high  mountains,  most  conspicuous  among 
which  are  the  magnificent  volcanoes  Agua  and 
Fuego  (Water  and  Fire),  rising  as  if  from  his 
very  feet. 

Agua  is  the  most  noted  volcano  of  Central 
America,  and  the  highest  peak,  being  about  four- 
teen thousand  feet  high.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  sights  in  the  world,  in  shape  a  perfect 
cone,  the  very  ideal  form  of  a  volcano.  Just 
a  little  beyond  is  Fuego,  nearly  as  high,  with 
three  peaks,  one  of  which  is  always  smoking. 
The  earthquake  which  destroyed  Antigua,  and 
those  which  are  now  felt  almost  every  night  in 
the  capital,  -are  attributed  to  this  volcano.  Only  a 
few  years  ago  there  was  an  eruption  from  it,  in 
which  several  Indian  villages  were  destroyed. 


"CIUDAD    V1EJA."  HI 

The  eruption  was  attended  by  severe  shocks  of 
earthquake;  great  stones,  weighing  tons,  were 
hurled  many  miles  ;  and  fire,  smoke,  and  lava 
were  emitted. 

The  view  of  these  volcanoes  is  so  grand  and 
beautiful  that  in  spite  of  the  sad,  mournful  feeling 
one  must  have  in  visiting  this  city,  he  feels 
entranced  and  reluctant  to  go.  They  fascinate 
and  allure  the  beholder,  so  that  he  feels  as  if  he 
never  wanted  to  leave  them.  It  seems  a  pity  the 
capital  could  not  remain  here,  for  what  was  gained 
in  safety  was  certainly  lost  in  beauty  of  situation ; 
but  these  mighty  forces,  the  relentless  sovereigns 
of  the  region,  decreed  otherwise,  and  Guatemala 
fled  from  them,  until  they  appeared  but  as  blue, 
cloud-like  forms  in  the  distance. 

A  short  distance  from  Antigua  is  the  site  of  the 
old  city,  "Ciudad  Vieja,"  as  it  is  called,  the  first 
capital  of  Guatemala,  and  also  the  site  of  the  old 
Indian  temple.  To  reach  it  we  rode  through 
beautiful  avenues  of  trees,  past  large,  fine  estates 
and  extensive  fields  of  cactus,  on  which  the 
cochineal  insect  feeds,  for  this  is  the  great  cochi- 
neal-producing section.  This  whole  region  is 
exceedingly  beautiful. 


142  A    THIEF  IX  THE  XIGHT. 

At  the  very  foot  of  Agua  was  the  old  Indian 
capital,  and  at  this  place  Pedro  de  Alvarado,  the 
lieutenant  of  Cortez,  fought  the  battles  which 
made  him  conqueror  and  governor  of  Guatemala. 
Here  he  encountered  most  vigorous  resistance. 
It  is  said  that  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  thou- 
sand well-armed  Indians  went  out  to  meet  him  ; 
but  the  superior  arms  of  the  Spaniards,  and, 
above  all,  the  terror  inspired  by  the  cavalry,  were 
too  much  for  the  Indians,  who  had  never  seen 
horses  before,  and  supposed  the  rider  and  horse 
to  be  one,  some  frightful  supernatural  being  or 
apparition.  At  the  end  of  six  days  their  king  was 
slain,  and  their  subjugation  complete.  Alvarado 
razed  the  Indian  temple  to  the  ground,  destroyed 
their  capital,  and  built  on  its  site  a  Catholic 
church  and  a  new  city  for  Spain.  This  was  in 
1524,  but  seventeen  years  after  (in  1541)  it  was 
completely  buried  by  a  flood  of  mud  and  water. 
This  flood  is  usually  attributed  to  a  great  internal 
lake  in  the  volcano  Agua.  The  eruption  took 
place  at  midnight,  so  not  a  soul  escaped.  Alva- 
rado himself  happened  to  be  absent  from  the  city ; 
but  his  palace  was  destroyed,  and  his  wife 
perished  in  it.  The  only  building  spared  was  the 


AT  THE  FOOT  OF  AGUA.  1 43 

church,  which  then  sat  on  a  mound  forty  feet 
high.  The  flood  of  mud  covered  the  city  just  to 
the  steps  of  the  church,  so  that  the  ground  is  now 
level  with  the  sill,  where  once  there  was  quite 
an  ascent  to  it.  Near  by  is  a  tree  where  the 
first  mass  in  the  country  was  held  by  the  Spanish 
army. 

Over  three  hundred  years  ago  this  city  was 
buried  and  it  never  has  been  excavated.  When  it 
is,  doubtless  much  that  is  strange  and  valuable 
will  be  discovered,  for  it  was  a  very  rich  city,  the 
Spaniards  having  collected  there  all  the  treasure 
they  could  lay  their  hands  upon.  There  it  all 
rests  secure,  and  above  it  houses  are  built  and  fine 
estates  are  cultivated.  We  visited  one  at  the 
very  foot  of  Agua,  where  lived  a  wealthy  fair- 
haired  Spaniard,  who  received  us  most  cordially 
and  politely,  seeming  to  live  entirely  thoughtless 
of  danger,  with  a  buried  city  beneath  him  and  a 
destructive  volcano  above.  We  were  so  near  the 
volcano  here  that  we  could  plainly  see  where  the 
side  of  the  crater  was  blown  off  in  the  eruption. 
The  ascent  of  this  volcano  is  often  made.  One 
can  go  part  way  on  mule-back  and  then  one  has 
to  climb.  The  view  from  the  summit  is  said  to  be 


*44  "CERRO  DEL   CARMEN," 

unsurpassed,  and,  on  looking  down  into  the  crater, 
it  is  possible  to  see  the  water  boiling  below. 

The  next  day,  at  noon,  we  said  "  Adios  "  to  all  in 
the  hotel,  for  no  one  here  ever  omits  a  salutation 
where  there  is  the  least  chance  of  making  use 
of  one,  and  the  servants  feel  deeply  grieved  if  you 
do  not  exchange  parting  words  with  them.  Then 
we  rode  away,  keeping  our  eyes  fixed  as  long  as 
possible  on  the  blue  majestic  forms  of  Agua  and 
Fuego.  When  they  faded,  our  enjoyment  was 
gone,  and  we  were  again  enveloped  in  dust.  We 
arrived  at  Guatemala  just  in  time  for  dinner,  and 
were,  on  the  whole,  much  pleased  with  our  visit 
to  its  ghostly  ancestors.  This  visit  was  an 
impressive  one,  and  was  once  afterwards  forcibly 
called  to  mind.  It  was  one  night  when  the 
national  band  played  at  the  "  Cerro  del  Carmen." 
An  old  Moorish  church,  the  oldest  in  the  country, 
stands  on  the  summit  of  this  hill,  and  there  is  a 
fine  view  of  the  city  and  these  distant  volcanoes. 
It  was  a  strange  and  varied  crowd  that  gathered 
there  to  hear  the  music.  There  was  the  Presi- 
dent's family,  the  poor  Indian  woman  selling 
candy,  the  Spanish  minister  in  his  coach,  Amer- 
ican and  German  ladies  and  gentlemen,  the  ragged 


FOREBODINGS.  145 

and  dirty  "ladino,"  the  handsome,  dark  Spaniard 
on  a  gay,  prancing  horse,  and  the  poor  mozo,  just 
resting  from  his  daily  burden,  —  making  in  all  a 
gay  and  curious  scene.  There  in  the  waning  day, 
looking  out  toward  the  powers  which  had  already 
destroyed  two  capitals  of  Guatemala,  it  seemed  as 
if  this,  too,  were  only  waiting  its  turn  ;  as  if  this 
gay  throng,  like  the  old  revellers  of  Pompeii,  were 
doomed  to  be  overwhelmed  by  the  fury  of  these 
remorseless  forces. 


CHAPTER    X. 

INTERVIEW    WITH     PRESIDENT     AND     MRS.    BARRIOS. 

PRESIDENT  BARRIOS  was  greatly  interested  in 
having  foreigners  come  into  the  country,  especially 
Americans.  Coffee,  the  principal  export  of  the 
country,  was  the  one  subject  in  which  he  was  most 
interested,  and  when  he  heard  that  a  representa- 
tive of  a  large  coffee  house  in  the  United  States 
was  in  Guatemala  he  sent  an  invitation  for  us  to 
call  at  the  "  Palace,"  naming  the  day  and  hour. 
My  father  was  then  about  to  make  a  trip  of  a  few 
days  to  Champerico,  one  of  the  large  shipping 
ports,  and  so  had  to  postpone  the  interview  until 
his  return,  and  just  before  oar  departure  from 
Guatemala.  A  friend  of  the  President  went  with 
us  to  present  us  and  act  as  interpreter. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  "  Palace  "  or  Govern- 
ment building,  we  were  confronted  by  a  guard  of 
soldiers  and  officers,  and,  on  presenting  our  card 
to  one  of  them,  were  shown  inside  the  court  to 

146 


BARRIOS.  147 

the  waiting-room,  where  there  were  already  two 
Spanish  gentlemen  waiting  for  an  interview.  The 
officers,  after  presenting  our  card  to  the  President, 
returned  and  said  the  General  was  then  busy 
with  foreign  ministers,  but  would  see  us  soon,  and 
told  the  two  gentlemen  waiting  that  they  would 
be  unable  to  see  the  President  that  day  and  would 
have  to  call  again  to-morrow.  They  seemed  as- 
tonished, and  asked  if  he  had  not  made  a  mis- 
take and  if  it  was  not  the  Americans  who  were  to 
call  again. 

In  about  half  an  hour  we  were  shown  into  the 
President's  room,  which  was  small,  and  plainly  fur- 
nished. There  were  several  piles  of  books  on  the 
floor,  and  great  heaps  of  all  kinds  of  vegetables 
and  fruits. 

The  President  was  a  fine-looking  man,  of  me- 
dium size,  perhaps  five  feet  eight  or  nine  inches, 
and  stoutly  built ;  of  a  dark  complexion,  with  full 
beard  and  with  an  expression  of  great  will  power 
and  determination.  He  was  said  to  be  about  fifty 
years  old,  though  he  looked  younger.  He  sat  half 
reclining  upon  a  sofa  with  his  hand  thrown  over 
the  back  of  it  in  proximity  to  two  bell  knobs, 
whose  use  was  told  us  afterwards  :  one  was  to  call 


H  A    CORDIAL   GREETING. 

his  secretary  ;  the  other  a  sharpshooter,  who  in 
an  instant  of  time  would  stand  with  a  cocked 
revolver  pointed  at  the  head  of  the  suspected 
visitor.  Such  precautions  Barrios  took  against 
assassination.  A  year  before,  his  life  had  been 
attempted  by  the  bursting  of  a  bomb-shell,  and 
since  then  he  had  not  appeared  on  the  streets 
without  a  guard  of  soldiers. 

When  we  were  presented  he  scrutinized  us  care- 
fully and  extended  his  hand  without  rising ;  but 
being  satisfied,  after  a  glance,  of  our  honest  inten- 
tions, he  then  greeted  us  most  cordially,  asking  at 
once  if  we  could  speak  Spanish,  as  he  did  not  speak 
English.  He  was  dressed  in  plain  citizen's  clothes, 
and  his  whole  bearing  was  at  once  pleasing  and 
indicative  of  greatness.  Seeing  us  look  inquir- 
ingly at  the  heaps  of  vegetables,  he  explained  that 
they  were  gifts  from  the  Indians,  brought  to  show 
to  him  their  industry.  He  was  very  much  inter- 
ested to  speak  of  coffee,  —  the  principal  subject  of 
our  interview,  —  he  himself  being  the  largest  ex- 
porter of  coffee  in  the  country.  Accordingly,  we 
were  invited  into  the  courtyard,  where  he  had  sam- 
ple bags  of  coffee  from  his  different  plantations, 
showing  the  quality  of  the  present  crop,  and  these 


DEVOTION  OF   THE  INDIANS.  149 

he  invited  us  to  examine.  He  owned  extensive 
plantations  and  was  said  to  export  forty  thousand 
bags  annually.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  for  years, 
from  the  sale  of  all  coffee  in  the  United  States 
and  Europe,  he  never  had  a  dollar  remitted,  but 
invested  it  in  the  countries  where  the  coffee  was 
sold.  In  the  courtyard  were  seventy-five  or  a 
hundred  Indians  from  the  country,  sitting  and 
lying  on  the  ground  in  the  sun,  waiting  hours  and 
hours  and  sometimes  all  day  for  a  chance  to  pay 
their  respects  to  him.  As  soon  as  he  came  in 
sight  every  Indian  rose  and  took  off  his  hat. 
Many  were  satisfied  with  a  mere  glance,  while 
others  had  some  trivial  complaint  to  offer. 
These  complaints  were  often  somewhat  amus- 
ing, but  Barrios  always  listened  to  them  atten- 
tively, and  with  a  few  words  and  a  pat  on  the 
head  sent  the  Indian  off  perfectly  happy.  He 
always  saw  that  the  Indians  were  protected  in 
what  rights  they  did  have,  and  was  worshipped 
by  them. 

The  interview  lasted  about  an  hour.  At  its 
close  the  President  expressed  pleasure  in  the  meet- 
ing ;  invited  us  to  call  on  his  family,  and  said  if 
there  was  any  favor  he  could  do  us  in  the  way  of 


'5°  "LA   PRESIDENTAr 

business,  or   any  courtesy  he  could    show  us,  he 
should  be  happy  to  do  so. 

\Ye  were  most  favorably  impressed  with  Presi- 
dent Barrios,  although  previous  to  this  interview 
it  had  been  quite  impossible  to  come  to  any  conclu- 
sion, so  contradictory  and  various  were  the  opin- 
ions we  heard  expressed,  some  declaring  him  a 
cruel  tyrant,  others  a  great  and  wise  ruler. 

The  invitation  to  call  on  his  family  we  accepted 
the  day  before  leaving  Guatemala.  Their  house 
was  very  large,  but  not  conspicuous,  being  built 
exactly  like  the  others,  as  Spanish  architecture 
seems  to  admit  of  little  variety.  We  wrere  met  at 
the  door  by  one  of  the  governesses,  who  spoke  Eng- 
lish, and  were  shown  directly  to  the  parlor,  which 
we  had  a  few  moments  to  observe  before  "  La  Pre- 
sidenta"  entered.  It  was  handsomely  furnished, 
although  ordinary  as  compared  with  houses  of 
wealth  in  our  country,  but  what  especially  struck 
us  as  peculiar  was  the  arrangement  of  all  chairs  in 
two  stiff  rows,  facing  each  other ;  but  this  we 
learned  was  truly  Spanish,  designed  to  keep  the 
ladies  and  gentlemen  apart,  a  matter  that  is  duly 
considered  in  all  Spanish  etiquette. 

Mrs.  Barrios  did  not  keep  us  long  waiting,  but 


A   ROMANTIC  ALLIANCE.  15  l 

soon  entered,  accompanied  by  two  of  her  children, 
very  bright  little  girls.  We  were  surprised  to  see 
a  lady  so  young  and  fair,  although  we  had  heard 
much  of  her  youth  and  beauty.  The  story  of  her 
marriage  is  well  known  and  illustrates  Barrios' 
will  and  determination.  The  first  time  he  saw  her 
he  determined  to  make  her  his  wife.  She  refused 
again  and  again,  but  yielded  when  he,  by  harsh 
measures,  brought  trouble  upon  her  family.  After 
their  marriage  they  seemed  to  live  happily  except 
for  the  shadow  cast  by  the  fact  that  his  life  was 
constantly  in  danger.  It  was  said  she  had  not 
yet  recovered  from  the  shock  produced  by  the 
attempted  assassination  of  the  President. 

However  varied  were  the  opinions  entertained  in 
regard  to  the  President,  we  heard  but  one  expressed 
in  regard  to  Mrs.  Barrios  from  the  time  we  en- 
tered the  country  until  we  left  it,  and  that  of 
highest  praise.  All,  from  the  wealthy  foreigner 
to  the  lowliest  Indian,  pronounced  her  "  the  love- 
liest woman  in  Guatemala." 

Mrs.  Barrios  is  very  beautiful,  tall,  and  slender, 
with  a  fair,  almost  pale  complexion,  with  black  hair 
and  soft  black  eyes.  She  wore  white  and  a  great 
profusion  of  diamonds.  She  had  a  sad,  almost 


I52  ON  THE  EVE   OF  REVOLUTION. 

careworn  expression,  which  seemed  strange  in  a 
person  so  young,  beautiful,  and  holding  such  a  high 
position  ;  but  was  it  any  wonder,  for  she  knew, 
as  we  did  not,  what  the  next  day,  February  28, 
would  bring  forth  ;  she  knew  as  no  one  else  of  the 
proclamation  to  be  issued  by  the  President  on  the 
following  day,  and  his  great  enterprise  of  "  La 
Union." 

She  spoke  English,  as  do  the  children,  quite 
well.  She  talked  of  her  great  love  and  admiration 
for  the  United  States,  and  said  the  one  wish  of 
her  life  was  to  see  it  again,  little  knowing  how 
soon  and  under  what  sad  circumstances  her  wish 
was  to  be  gratified.  She  seemed  to  enter  most 
fully  into  all  her  husband's  plans  for  the  advance- 
ment of  Guatemala,  and  spoke  with  enthusiasm  of 
all  the  new  enterprises  undertaken  by  him,  and 
especially  of  the  contemplated  railroad.  With 
equal  enthusiasm  she  spoke  of  the  education  of 
her  children,  which  seemed  one  of  the  greatest 
interests  of  her  life. 

As  we  were  leaving,  she  expressed  regret  that 
the  United  States  was  so  ignorant  of  her  country, 
and  bade  us,  on  our  return,  write  some  articles 
for  the  newspapers,  "  that  the  people  might  know 


THE   GREAT  DECREE.  153 

there  was  something  besides  Indians  in  Guate- 
mala." She  expressed,  as  did  the  President,  de- 
sire to  serve  in  any  way  possible ;  and  now  that 
she  is  making  her  home  here,  we  can  only  wish 
that  our  people  will  extend  to  her  such  courtesy 
and  kindness  as  were  shown  to  us  in  her  country 
both  by  herself  and  the  President. 

The  next  day,  the  day  on  which  we  left  Guate- 
mala, Barrios  issued  his  decree  proclaiming  a 
Union  of  the  Central  American  States,  and  him- 
self "  Supreme  Military  Ruler."  Not  many  weeks 
after,  he  was  slain  in  battle,  and  we  heard  the 
news  with  great  regret ;  for  that  he  had  done  and 
would  have  continued  to  do  a  great  and  good 
work  for  Guatemala  there  can  be  no  doubt.  Far 
be  it  from  us  to  attempt  to  judge  him.  It  is 
almost  impossible  for  any  one  to  do  this  justly, 
even  though  he  has  been  in  the  country  and  seen 
him,  opinions  and  reports  were  so  contradictory 
and  various  ;  for,  like  all  great  men  (and  he  was 
great),  he  had  staunch  friends  who  fairly  wor- 
shipped him,  and  bitter  enemies  who  as  thor- 
oughly hated  him  ;  but  one  and  all  alike  attested 
to  the  fact  of  the  great  work  he  had  done  for 
Guatemala,  of  his  ability  to  rule,  and  his  superior- 


154  A    REPUBLIC  IX  XAME. 

ity  over  any  man  in  Central  America.  To  illus- 
trate, one  gentleman,  a  resident  of  Central  Amer- 
ica, who  had  a  son  in  San  Salvador,  after  railing 
at  Barrios  in  the  strongest  terms  as  a  cruel 
tyrant,  went  on  to  say,  in  the  next  breath,  that 
Barrios  had  made  the  best  government  in  any 
of  the  states,  and  he  himself  should  be  glad  if 
Barrios  were  President  of  San  Salvador,  for  that 
government  had  no  stability ;  there  was  no  basis 
for  business,  and  titles  were  not  worth  the  paper 
on  which  they  were  written. 

The  government  of  Guatemala  is  a  republic  in 
name  merely.  The  council  of  state  consists  of 
twenty-four  members,  elected  by  the  house  of 
representatives,  consisting  of  fifty-two  members 
elected  by  the  people.  We  made  inquiries  about 
the  elections  ;  but,  as  far  as  we  could  ascertain, 
there  seemed  to  be  no  regular  method.  Ballots 
are  sometimes  issued  among  officials  and  the 
principal  men,  and  they  vote  according  to  instruc- 
tions —  at  least  so  we  are  informed.  Barrios  made 
the  government  somewhat  more  stable  ;  but  be- 
fore his  time,  as  is  now  the  case  in  South 
America,  there  was  every  little  while  a  fight 
for  the  presidency,  the  victorious  party  holding 


THE  IRON  HAND.  I  5  5 

it  until  some  faction   rose  up  which  was   strong 
enough  to  overpower  them. 

Barrios  became  ruler  of  Guatemala  by  force,  as 
is  the  manner  in  all  these  republics.  He  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  a  small  band  collected  on 
the  borders  of  Mexico,  and  took  possession  of 
the  government.  He  was  by  title  President,  but 
in  reality  absolute  monarch.  All  the  laws  were 
instituted  by  him,  and  not  by  the  legislature  of 
the  people.  At  one  time  a  new  member  took 
occasion  in  a  speech  to  oppose  a  certain  meas- 
ure, but  he  soon  after  disappeared,  and  was 
never  again  seen,  neither  did  the  legislative  body 
ever  dare  inquire  what  had  become  of  him.  There 
was  a  perfect  system  of  spies  throughout  the 
country ;  every  official  was  watched,  and  every 
sign  of  a  revolution  was  suppressed  in  its  incipi- 
ency.  At  one  time  a  party  of  conspirators  hid 
themselves  in  an  underground  passage  in  one  of 
the  old  monasteries  of  Antigua.  It  was  a  long 
time  before  they  were  found  ;  but  when  they  were, 
Barrios  had  them  all  shot.  When,  later,  his  life 
was  attempted  by  the  bursting  of  a  bomb-shell,  he 
pardoned  the  executors,  but  shot  five  or  six  who 
were  suspected  to  have  planned  the  deed,  and  ban- 


156  A   FALSE  STEP. 

ished  others,  one  of  whom  was  an  intimate  friend, 
the  next  highest  in  position  in  Guatemala,  one  of 
the  ministers,  and  the  owner  of  the  finest  estate 
which  we  saw  in  the  city.  Barrios  scrupled  at  no 
means  to  be  rid  of  any  one  who  stood 'in  his  way, 
and  that  his  acts  were  often  most  cruel  there  can 
be  no  denying,  but  it  must  be  further  granted 
that  he  doubtless  thought  them  necessary  in 
order  to  rule  the  people  and  establish  a  stable 
quiet  government.  Furthermore,  much  as  it  is 
and  ought  to  be  condemned,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  this  is  the  Spanish  way  of  doing  busi- 
ness. They  clinch  all  their  acts  with  a  sword  or 
pistol,  and  think  there  is  no  force  or  power  save 
in  the  use  of  these  weapons. 

Of  the  last  act  of  his  life  we  can  but  say  it 
was  unfortunate.  He  professed  to  be  truly  patri- 
otic. Certainly  that  the  Central  American  States 
should  be  united  under  one  government  was  and 
is  most  desirable.  Then  they  might  be  some- 
thing of  a  power,  while  now  each  by  itself  is 
insignificant.  There  was  but  one  man  in  Central 
America  capable  of  standing  at  the  head,  and 
that  was  Barrios.  A  union  had  been  greatly  agi- 
tated, and  throughout  the  country  all  professed  to 


SECRET  PREPARATIONS.  157 

desire  it,  though,  as  the  end  showed,  they  did  not 
really  wish  it.  There  is  too  much  petty  jealousy 
between  the  different  states  to  make  it  possible 
in  this  generation. 

His  skill  in  planning  the  movement  was  certainly 
admirable.  Not  the  slightest  suspicion  of  it  was 
known  the  day  beforehand.  We  heard  one  or  two 
remarks  which  we  called  to  mind  afterward, 
though  they  did  not  impress  us  at  the  time. 
Some  little  curiosity  was  expressed  as  to  why  so 
many  soldiers  were  going  to  Guatemala,  and  it 
was  said  that  President  Barrios  must  be  "up  to 
something."  The  answer  always  was,  "It  is  only 
a  review  of  the  troops.  He  is  expected  soon  to 
cross  the  country,  and  all  preparations  are  being 
made  for  him."  This  was  most  remote  from  his 
real  plan. 

The  greatest  excitement  was  caused  by  the 
proclamation  of  the  Central  American  Union,  and 
enthusiasm  ran  high.  The  newspapers  afterward 
received  from  there  were  full  of  articles  most 
patriotic,  eloquent,  and  stirring.  There  were 
some  which  would  hold  rank  with  the  finest  ex- 
pressions of  patriotism  ever  uttered  in  any  coun- 
try or  in  behalf  of  the  noblest  cause.  Nothing  is 


I5  A   FAITHLESS  FRIEND. 

easier  than  to  excite  these  people  of  imaginative, 
impulsive  mind  to  the  highest  degree  either  of 
frenzy  or  nobleness,  and  in  this  case  they  were 
thoroughly  aroused. 

The  treachery  of  Zaldivar,  a  lifelong  friend  of 
Barrios,  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  the  pres- 
idency of  San  Salvador,  put  an  entirely  new 
aspect  on  affairs,  and  was  a  great  and  unexpected 
blow  to  Barrios,  who  then  went  down  to  subjugate 
Salvador.  At  first,  Guatemala  was  successful,  but 
in  the  battle  of  Chalchuapa  Barrios  was  slain 
while  rallying  his  men,  and  with  his  life  all  in- 
spiration and  courage  died  out.  There  was  noth- 
ing left  to  inspire  the  army,  though  they  fought 
most  bravely  for  his  dead  body,  and  rescued  it 
only  with  the  loss  of  many  of  the  bravest  and 
best  sons  of  Guatemala. 

A  letter  lately  received  from  there  pays  the 
highest  tribute  to  the  action  of  our  American 
minister,  Mr.  Hall,  through  the  whole  trouble. 
He  worked  nobly  and  well,  and  was  the  one  "  main- 
stay" in  all  the  commotion,  his  house  being  a 
refuge  not  only  for  Americans,  but  also  for  many 
natives  whose  lives  were  in  danger,  especially  after 
the  death  of  Barrios,  when  all  was  disorganization 


THE  MAN  AND   HIS    TIME.  159 

and  tumult.  He  did  much  toward  stopping  the 
trouble,  and,  if  Zaklivar  had  not  intercepted  the 
cablegrams  from  Washington  to  Guatemala,  would 
probably  have  averted  war  altogether,  as  Barrios 
waited  nineteen  days  to  hear  from  Washington 
before  beginning  proceedings,  such  was  his  respect 
for  the  judgment  of  the  United  States. 

In  these  days  the  good  old  Latin  proverb,  so 
worthy  of  consideration,  seems  to  be  forgotten, 
"De  mortuis  nil  nisi  bonum  "  (of  the  dead  nothing 
but  good).  There  has  been  much  written  about 
Barrios,  both  favorable  and  unfavorable,  principally 
the  latter ;  but  the  great  mistake  all  are  liable  to 
make  in  estimating  his  character  is  to  judge  him 
by  the  standard  of  our  day  and  country,  forgetting 
that  he  was  one  of  and  ruled  over  a  semi-civilized 
people,  over  a  nation  for  three  hundred  years 
under  the  grinding  and  deteriorating  rule  of  the 
Spaniards,  and  still  really  belonging  to  the  cen- 
turies far  in  the  past.  Look  at  the  condition  of 
all  colonies  of  Spain,  those  who  have  thrown  off 
the  yoke  and  those  still  under  its  power !  They 
are  marked  by  constant  insurrections,  by  deeds  of 
violence,  by  instability,  corruption,  and  stagnation. 
Such  was  Guatemala  when  President  Barrios  be- 


i6o 


BARRIOS'    WORKS. 


came  ruler,  and  for  it,  everything  considered,  he 
accomplished  wonders.  He  was  without  doubt 
the  man  for  the  time  and  place. 

What  he  did  can  perhaps  be  no  better  expressed 
than  by  an  extract  from  a  Guatemala  newspaper, 
translated  from  the  Spanish,  to  the  truth  of  which 
all  must  testify:  — 

"  General  Barrios  reformed  completely  Guate- 
mala. From  a  half-savage  people  he  made  a  body 
of  free  citizens,  educating  them  in  innumerable 
schools,  which  he  founded  even  in  the  insignificant 
little  villages,  and  giving  them  the  rights  of  fran- 
chise. The  rule  of  horror  and  death,  of  times  not 
far  distant,  was  replaced  by  good  laws  ;  freedom  of 
worship  and  of  the  press  were,  thanks  to  him, 
effected  in  Guatemala.  He  has  left  many  works 
of  unquestionable  merit  and  practical  utility  ;  he 
crossed  the  republic  with  lines  of  telegraph,  built 
the  railroad  in  the  South  and  planned  one  in  the 
North,  established  lines  of  horse-cars  in  the  capi- 
tal, and  built  many  public  buildings,  such  as  the 
hippodrome,  the  penitentiary,  the  post-office,  the 
polytechnic  school,  hospitals,  and  many  more,  too 
numerous  to  mention.  Above  all,  he  created  a 
spirit  of  action  and  enterprise  which,  if  it  was 


A   GLOWING    TRIBUTE.  l6l 

not  completely  dead,  was  sunk  in  heaviest  leth- 
argy very  like  death.  He  found  nothing  and  cre- 
ated everything,  and  such  a  work  must  be  that  of 
a  great  genius  —  a  genius  that  gave  life  and  action 
to  everything  touched  by  his  hand." 

The  article  closes  with  a  high  tribute  to  his 
memory,  which  we  would  add,  not  as  expressing  a 
universal  sentiment,  but  that  of  his  admirers.  "  A 
noble  great  man,  General  Barrios  died  for  his 
people  as  he  had  lived  for  them.  The  ball  that 
passed  through  his  heart  smote  also  Guatemala. 
Now,  since  science  and  love  are  powerless  to  re- 
store the  life  in  an  instant  of  time  taken  from 
the  dear  ones  who  mourn  his  death,  and  for  whom 
he  gave  his  life's  blood,  let  us,  by  making  every 
effort  to  maintain  public  tranquillity,  honor  the  re- 
pose of  the  illustrious  commander,  whose  life  was 
a  constant  struggle  and  perpetual  effort  for  the 
good  and  advancement  of  Guatemala.  May  his 
sleep  be  respected,  and  let  us  go  on  with  determi- 
nation and  faith  to  work  earnestly  for  the  pros- 
perity and  aggrandizement  of  Guatemala,  thus 
realizing  the  dearest  dream  of  the  heroic  soldier, 
able  statesman,  and  honored  President,  General  J. 
Rufino  Barrios." 


CHAPTER   XL 

COFFEE    PLANTATIONS,  GROWTH    AND    CULTIVATION. 

THERE  is  not  a  more  beautiful  sight  than  a  cof- 
fee plantation,  with  its  shrubs  of  rich  dark  green, 
bearing  white  fragrant  blossoms  and  bright  crimson 
berries ;  and  the  visitor  to  Guatemala,  whether 
specially  interested  in  coffee  or  not,  will  be  sure 
to  visit  one  after  another  of  these  fine  estates. 
They  usually  cover  many  acres  ;  have  good  build- 
ings, fine  avenues  of  trees,  and  large  gardens 
nicely  laid  out,  containing  beautiful  and  often  rare 
plants  and  shrubs.  The  owners  are  generally 
wealthy  men,  either  Spaniards  or  Germans,  and 
always  receive  visitors  with  the  greatest  pleasure 
and  cordiality,  showing  them  all  about  the  estates 
and  sending  them  away  loaded  with  flowers. 

The  plantations  cover  acres  of  ground,  and  the 

land  is  perfectly  cultivated,  —  not  a  weed  or  spear 

gf  grass  is  allowed.     The  coffee  plants  are  set  out 

at  equal  distances,  and  in  rows  on  a  perfect  line ; 

162 


THE   COFFEE  PLANT.  163 

all  of  them  are  of  uniform  size  and  height,  and 
the  tops  look  as  perfect  as  a  hedge  that  has  been 
trimmed  with  the  greatest  of  care.  The  average 
crop  of  a  plantation  is  about  one  thousand  to  fif- 
teen hundred  quintals  annually.  One  plantation 
near  the  port  of  Champerico  exports  fifteen 
thousand  bags  and  has  three  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  trees. 

The  coffee  plant  is  a  shrub  growing  to  the 
height  of  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  its  wild  state, 
but  under  cultivation  is  kept  down  to  six  or  eight 
feet.  The  shrub  has  a  single  stem,  opening  out  at 
the  top  into  long,  dense,  drooping  branches,  which 
fall  to  the  ground,  making  an  unusually  beautiful 
looking  plant.  The  leaves  are  long  and  pointed, 
and  of  a  dark,  rich,  glossy  green.  The  flowers 
come  out  from  the  angle  of  the  leaf  in  groups  of 
from  four  to  twelve,  and  are  small,  white,  and  fra- 
grant, resembling  the  jessamine.  The  fruit  suc- 
ceeds the  blossom,  and  very  much  resembles  a 
cranberry  in  color,  form,  and  size.  When  ripe  the 
berries  are  of  a  dark  crimson  color,  and  consist  of 
a  pulpy  mass  containing  two  oval  seeds,  which  are 
convex  on  one  side  and  flat  on  the  other,  and  lie 
together  face  to  face,  separated  only  by  a  thin 


164  SETTING    THE  SHRUB. 

skin  or  parchment.  Sometimes  only  one  seed 
forms,  and  in  process  of  growth,  as  it  pushes  itself 
against  the  dividing  membrane  and  encounters  no 
opposing  growth,  it  naturally  rounds  over  and 
makes  the  small,  round  bean  known  as  pea- 
berry. 

To  secure  the  proper  growth  of  the  coffee,  plenty 
of  shade  is  required.  To  reach  this  result  on  some 
plantations,  the  plants  are  set  out  several  feet 
apart,  and  between  them  are  planted  shade  trees 
which  grow  to  a  great  height,  with  the  foliage  on 
the  very  top.  On  other  plantations  banana  trees 
are  planted  in  like  manner  for  the  same  purpose. 
When  these  rules  are  not  followed  the  coffee 
plants  are  placed  very  close  together,  and  when 
fully  grown  the  tops  meet,  making  a  solid  body  of 
very  dark  foliage,  shutting  out  every  ray  of  sun 
from  the  ground. 

The  conditions  for  the  cultivation  of  coffee  in 
Guatemala  are  very  much  unlike  many  other  coffee- 
growing  countries  ;  a  very  large  part  of  the  coffee 
grown  in  Guatemala  is  on  table-lands,  or  high  plains, 
at  an  elevation  of  four  thousand  feet  or  more,  and 
the  varieties  of  soil  are  very  marked,  varying  from 
a  deep  rich  black  loam  to  a  red  clay  or  sandy  soil ; 


PREPARING    THE  BERRY.  165 

all  of  which  are  sometimes  to  be  found  in  one  or 
two  miles ;  consequently,  in  order  to  purchase 
Guatemala  coffee,  and  get  a  high  standard  and 
uniform  quality,  every  condition  of  growth  and 
preparation  must  be  known  to  the  buyer. 

These  conditions  are,  the  proper  elevation, 
location,  the  particular  kind  of  soil,  the  planter's 
manner  of  cultivation,  facilities  for  curing,  and 
proper  machinery.  One  single  condition  left  out 
of  the  many  is  almost  sure  to  produce  a  coffee 
that  will  be  below  the  standard  of  a  fine  drinking 
coffee. 

Most  of  the  planters  are  rich,  and  have  complete 
machinery.  Large  planters  have  the  latest  im- 
proved and  best  machinery,  with  power,  usually 
steam.  The  works  are  quite  extensive,  and  always 
located  as  near  as  possible  in  the  centre  of  a  planta- 
tion. If  a  running  stream  of  water  can  be  obtained 
in  such  a  location,  it  is  of  great  benefit ;  for  plenty 
of  water  saves  labor  and  makes  a  more  "stylish" 
coffee. 

The  berries  are  picked  and  carried  to  the  fac- 
tory, where  they  are  run  through  a  pulping  ma- 
chine, a  stream  of  water  passing  through  the  hop- 
per with  the  berries.  The  machine  breaks  the 


1 66  IXDIAX  LABOR. 

pulp,  separates  the  berry,  and  the  pulp  is  carried 
off  and  spread  around  the  trees  for  dressing.  The 
coffee  berry  runs  off  in  a  spout  into  a  reservoir, 
which  has  a  cemented  bottom  enclosed  by  masonry, 
—  a  cemented  wall  about  two  feet  high,  making  it 
water-tight ;  water  is  run  through  with  the  coffee 
bean,  when  it  is  washed  ;  the  water  is  then  drawn 
off,  and  the  coffee  remaining  is  dried  in  the  sun  ; 
it  is  then  put  through  a  machine  which  breaks  the 
skin,  winnows  it,  and  makes  it  perfectly  clean  from 
chaff  and  dirt ;  the  coffee  is  next  all  hand-picked, 
or  graded,  making  some  four  qualities ;  then  it  is 
bagged,  and  when  sold  transported  to  a  railroad  or 
shipping  port  by  carts  or  on  the  backs  of  Indians. 
The  labor  is  done  by  the  Indians,  the  men  work- 
ing the  land,  the  women  and  girls  doing  all  the 
work  at  the  mills,  and  picking  the  berries.  In 
parts  of  the  country  where  there  is  little  coffee 
culture  the  berry  is  pulped  by  the  Indian 
women  by  hand.  The  coffee  is  then  dried  and 
sold  "in  parchment";  that  is,  after  it  is  pulped 
and  dried,  the  berry  remains  encased  in  a  thin 
membranous  skin,  then  it  is  transported  to  some 
town  where  there  is  a  factory,  where  it  is  per- 
fected for  market.  Labor  is  very  cheap ;  the 


WATER  IN  COFFEE-CURING.  1 67 

price  for  men  per  day  is  one  real  (\2\  cents), 
for  women  a  medio  (6£  cents). 

The  coffee  of  San  Salvador  is  cured  without 
water,  and  it  has  a  dark,  dingy,  discolored  appear- 
ance ;  much  unlike  the  first  quality  of  Guatemala, 
which  is  clear,  waxy,  transparent,  and  of  a  green 
color. 

It  is  claimed  by  merchants  and  planters  in 
Salvador  that  coffee  cured  without  water  (which 
method  is  compulsory  with  them,  as  they  have  no 
water  during  the  coffee  season)  is  better,  as  it  re- 
tains all  the  strength  and  flavor,  which  the  use  of 
water  extracts  to  a  certain  degree  ;  but  this  theory, 
in  our  opinion,  is  not  correct. 

The  term  "  washed  coffee,"  as  understood  with 
us  here,  is  coffee  that  has  been  washed  after  it  has 
been  once  dried  and  milled,  which,  apparently,  does 
extract  some  of  the  strength  and  flavor,  and  con- 
sequently lessens  the  value  of  coffees  naturally  fine 
and  rich,  so  far  as  the  drinking  quality  is  con- 
cerned, while  the  same  process  used  on  coffees 
which  are  rank  and  harsh  in  flavor  is  beneficial. 
But  the  use  of  water  in  pulping,  while  the  bean 
is  green,  soft,  and  full  of  moisture,  thereby  clean- 
ing and  curing,  but  retaining  the  original  color, 


1 68  GUATEMALA    COFFEES. 

must  be  the  perfect  way  of  curing,  as  this  pre- 
serves the  natural,  perfect  flavor  of  the  berry. 

The  curing  of  coffee  is  of  vital  importance,  as  it 
is  in  this  that  the  foundation  is  laid  for  fine  quality, 
aroma  and  perfection  of  style  ;  and  when  coffee, 
by  improper  treatment,  becomes  stained,  spotted, 
or  discolored,  the  drinking  qualities  and  green 
appearance  have  certainly  been  proportionally 
damaged. 

Guatemala  coffees  have  a  wide  range  of  value  in 
drinking  merits,  although  the  style  and  appear- 
ance of  the  bean  may  be  about  the  same,  and  this 
difference  of  drinking  quality  may  often  occur  in 
the  same  coffee-growing  district.  The  bulk  of  the 
crop  of  Guatemala  coffee  is  exported  to  London 
and  Hamburg,  little  coming  to  the  United  States, 
and  that  being  third  and  fourth  quality.  San  Jose 
and  Champerico  are  the  shipping  ports  of  Guate- 
mala, Champerico  being  very  much  the  larger 
port ;  and  the  quality  of  the  coffee  grown  in  this 
vicinity  is  said  to  be  the  finest  in  the  country. 

The  facilities  possessed  by  Guatemala  for  pro- 
ducing fine,  "sightly,"  perfect  coffee  are  not  ex- 
celled by  any  coffee-growing  country ;  but  there 
are  immense  obstacles  to  be  overcome  in  pur- 


DIFFICULTIES  IN  BUYING   COFFEE.          169 

chasing  coffee  in  Guatemala.  As  before  said,  the 
conditions  already  described  must  be  studied  to 
know  the  value  of  the  coffee  one  is  purchasing. 
Besides,  only  a  very  small  part  of  the  coffee 
is  purchasable  at  all,  as  many  of  the  large  planta- 
tions are  owned  by  parties  in  Europe,  to  whom 
the  coffee  is  all  shipped  ;  and  most  of  the  plant- 
ers that  are  able  to  move  their  crop  prefer  to 
consign  their  goods  to  their  own  correspondents 
and  take  their  chances  with  the  markets.  This 
class  of  planters  will  not  sell  their  coffees  except 
at  a  fabulous  price.  What  is  more  strange,  there 
is  never  a  bag  of  coffee  in  any  city  or  shipping 
port  for  sale ;  neither  can  a  sample  be  found. 
The  purchasable  coffee  is  found  only  at  the  plan- 
tation, where  the  whole  crop  must  be  bought  "  in 
parchment,"  or  an  advance  of  cash  made  to  enable 
the  planter  to  have  the  coffee  milled  and  graded  ; 
bags  must  also  be  furnished  him,  and  money  to 
transport  to  the  shipping  port. 

Such  are  a  part  of  the  obstacles  to  be  overcome 
in  purchasing  coffee  in  that  country,  which  makes 
it  a  hazardous  business  for  a  foreigner. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CHARACTER  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 

THE  population  of  Guatemala  is  given  as  one 
million  four  hundred  thousand,  but  the  census  is 
not  very  exact,  and  probably  there  are  a  million 
and  a  half  of  people.  Of  these  nearly  a  million 
(950,000)  are  Indians,  three  hundred  thousand 
"ladinos,"  and  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  thou- 
sand whites,  including  Spaniards  and  foreigners. 

The  characteristics  of  the  Indians  have  already 
been  described,  but  we  wish  to  add  something 
about  their  origin.  There  are  twenty  different 
tribes,  each  with  its  own  language ;  but  all  save 
three  or  four  belong  to  the  same  family,  the  gen- 
eral name  of  the  Indians  of  Guatemala  being  that 
of  "Quiche." 

They  trace  their   origin  through  a  long  line  of 

kings  back  to  the  ancient  Toltecs,  who  formerly 

inhabited    Mexico,    the    majority   of   whom    were 

driven  out  by  the  coming    of   the  Aztecs  in  the 

170 


AZTEC  AND    TOLTEC.  I/1 

eleventh  century.  These  Toltecs  are  supposed  to 
have  been  the  most  superior  race  of  Indians  that 
ever  inhabited  this  continent.  They  possessed  a 
wonderful  civilization,  and  all  the  finest  architec- 
tural remains  and  ruins  in  the  country  (those  of 
Yucatan  and  some  parts  of  Mexico)  are  attributed 
to  this  race.  When  the  Aztecs  came,  the  Toltecs, 
not  being  a  warlike  people,  offered  no  resistance, 
but  some  of  them  moved  further  south,  while  a  part 
remained,  became  amalgamated  with  the  Aztecs, 
and  taught  them  their  wonderful  civilization — that 
civilization  which  so  astonished  Cortez  and  his 
army  when  they  entered  Mexico,  and  remains  of 
which  are  still  to  be  seen  in  the  city  at  this  day. 
Unlike  the  Aztecs,  their  history  is  not  stained  by 
the  offerings  of  human  sacrifice  on  the  altars  of 
their  gods,  nor  by  the  horrible  practice  of  canni- 
balism. To  the  traveller  it  is  most  interesting 
to  note  how  the  present  Indian  tribes  and  the 
other  inhabitants  of  Guatemala  differ  from  those 
of  Mexico.  But  of  this  we  shall  speak  later 
on.  Morelet,  the  naturalist,  who  has  given 
greatest  study  to  these  "  Quiche "  Indians,  de- 
scribes them  as  "  an  active,  courageous  race, 
whose  heads  never  grow  gray,  persevering  in 


I72  CONDITION  OF    THE   INDIANS. 

their  industry,  skilful  in  almost  every  depart- 
ment of  art,  good  workers  in  iron  and  the 
precious  metals,  generally  well  dressed,  neat  in 
person,  with  a  firm  step  and  independent  bear- 
ing, and  altogether  constituting  a  class  of  citi- 
zens who  only  require  to  be  better  educated  to 
rise  equal  to  the  best." 

Their  condition  has  already  been  shown.  It 
seemed  to  us,  as  near  as  we  could  determine,  very 
much  like  that  of  the  serfs  in  the  old  feudal 
system.  We  were  told  that  if  a  man  bought  a 
piece  of  ground  the  Indians  on  that  land  were 
bound  to  work  for  him.  Roads  are  built  and  re- 
paired, aqueducts  made,  and  the  government  coffee 
plantations  all  carried  on  by  "forced  labor,"  the 
poor  Indians  working  without  a  cent  of  pay.  As 
we  have  shown,  they  do  the  hardest  work  for 
the  smallest  pay,  and  have  but  few  rights.  They 
have  the  power  to  choose,  subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  "Jefe,"  one  of  their  number  as  "alcalde," 
a  sort  of  sheriff,  to  whom  they  appeal  for  protec- 
tion and  justice.  This  is  their  only  voice  in  the 
government. 

The  "  ladinos,"  especially  the  lower  class,  are 
inferior  to  the  Indians  in  cleanliness,  honesty,  and 


PICTURESQUE   COSTUMES.  1/3 

industry.  Still,  they  regard  themselves  as  infi- 
nitely superior,  and  treat  the  Indians  with  great 
contempt. 

The  dress  of  the  people  is  characteristic.  That 
of  the  Indians  has  been  described.  In  and  about 
the  capital  it  is  somewhat  different  from  that  of 
the  interior,  in  that  the  women,  instead  of  wear- 
ing a  loose  skirt,  take  a  straight  piece  of  cloth 
and  wind  it  tightly  about  them,  with  an  awkward 
effect.  One  tribe  near  Antigua  dresses  in  black. 
The  women  of  the  lower  class  wear  an  embroid- 
ered chemise,  a  full  skirt,  and  a  bright  colored 
"rebosa"  (a  single  shawl),  over  the  shoulders 
and  head,  as  they  never  wear  hats.  Of  the 
higher  classes,  the  wealthiest  have  adopted  the 
European  dress ;  and  often  the  costumes  are  im- 
ported from  Paris,  and  are  very  elegant.  Very 
few  use  hats,  but  they  wear  very  gracefully  the 
Spanish  mantilla  upon  their  heads,  and  the  black 
shawl  of  fine  texture  over  the  shoulders.  It  is 
said  that  "when  the  ladies  put  on  hats  they  leave 
off  smoking."  These  varied  costumes,  so  different 
from  ours,  make  the  streets  a  gay  and  novel  scene 
to  the  traveller. 

All    the   people,  whether  of  Spanish  or  mixed 


1/4         WOMAN  IN  GUATEMALAN  SOCIETY. 

blood,  are  truly  Spanish  in  their  customs  and 
manner  of  life. 

Boys  and  girls  are  placed  in  separate  schools, 
even  in  their  youngest  years,  and  girls  are  most 
carefully  watched  and  secluded.  The  streets  are 
full  of  Indian  women,  but  one  sees  very  few  of  the 
higher  classes,  and  this  was  so  noticeable  that  we 
asked,  "  Where  are  the  ladies  of  Guatemala  ? " 
and  received  the  answer,  "In  their  houses."  It  is 
contrary  to  custom  and  all  rules  of  etiquette  for  a 
lady  to  go  on  the  street  alone,  even  in  the  day- 
time. She  must  be  attended  by  a  servant  or 
another  companion,  and  it  is  improper  for  ladies, 
even  in  groups  of  two  or  three,  to  be  out  after  dark 
unattended  by  a  servant.  Ladies  and  gentleman 
never  walk  together  on  the  street  unless  married. 

An  American  girl  does  not  half  appreciate  her 
freedom  and  independence  until  she  goes  to  one  of 
these  countries.  Indeed,  the  American  and  Ger- 
man ladies  have  found  these  customs  so  tiresome 
and  disagreeable  that  they  have  rather  broken  over 
them,  and  now  if  a  stranger  walks  the  street  un- 
attended she  is  forgiven  by  the  people,  who  have 
learned  that  the  customs  of  other  nations  are 
different  from  their  own. 


L  O  VE-MAKING.  1 7  5 

The  young  ladies  being  kept  so  secluded  by  the 
Spanish  custom,  love-making  must  necessarily 
conform  to  circumstances ;  and  the  suitor,  since 
he  is  not  allowed  admission  into  the  presence  of 
his  inamorata,  frequents  the  pavement  in  front 
of  her  house,  and  gazes  up  at  her  balcony,  where 
she  sits  ensconced  behind  the  bars.  This  per- 
formance is  called  in  Mexico  "  hacer  el  oso"  (play- 
ing the  bear),  and  in  Spain  "pelando  la  pava" 
(plucking  the  turkey).  It  is  often  continued  for 
months,  and  even  years,  without  success,  the 
result  depending  upon  the  will  of  the  parents, 
who,  after  a  time,  make  inquiries  into  the  young 
man's  prospects,  and,  if  the  results  are  satisfac- 
tory, invite  him  into  the  house,  although  they 
never  allow  him  to  see  the  young  lady  alone. 

Naturally,  the  young  people  make  the  most  of 
every  meeting  at  the  theatre,  opera,  and  Plaza, 
where,  by  motions  and  glances,  they  carry  on  most 
extensive  and  ridiculous  "flirtations."  The  Mex- 
icans especially,  as  every  traveller  will  observe, 
indulge  in  this  folly  to  the  greatest  degree. 

Spanish  gentlemen  consider  it  complimentary  to 
stare  at  a  lady,  and  will  even  put  their  heads  into 
a  carriage  where  one  is  sitting,  and  gaze  at  her 


EMBARRASSING  ADMIRATION. 

steadily  for  several  minutes.  American  ladies  of 
blond  complexion  travelling  in  these  countries  get 
so  much  admiration  of  this  nature  that  it  is  ex- 
ceedingly disagreeable,  and  even  painful.  Blue 
eyes  and  light  hair  are  so  rare  that  they  are 
greatly  admired,  and  boys  will  often  stand  and 
look  up  into  a  lady's  face  for  some  time,  and 
pour  forth  a  constant  stream  of  compliments, 
which,  if  she  understands  Spanish,  is  truly  over- 
powering. 

These  customs  strike  an  American  as  very 
peculiar,  and  make  him  exclaim,  "  Consistency, 
thou  art  a  jewel,"  for  there  is  a  great  show  of 
virtue  and  little  of  the  reality.  The  whole  Spanish 
system  of  society  gives  plainest  evidence  of  its 
falsity,  and  the  fact  that  it  defeats  its  own  pur- 
pose. The  words  of  Lara,  in  "  The  Spanish  Stu- 
dent," regarding  the  lack  of  virtue  among  Spanish 
women,  are  often  repeated  in  Guatemala  and 
Mexico. 

That  the  moral  state  of  society  is  low,  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  Most  deplorable  of  all  is  the  exis- 
tence of  evils  similar  to  those  in  the  South  during 
the  times  of  slavery.  That  the  Indian  women  are 
not  lacking  in  virtue,  however,  is  proved  by  the 


GAMBLING  AND  DRINKING.  177 

fact  that  many  beautiful  Indian  maidens  appeal  to 
their  "Jefe"  for  the  protection  of  the  law  against 
the  wealthy  planters. 

Gambling  and  drinking,  especially  the  former, 
are  carried  to  excess.  We  saw  much  less  drunk- 
enness in  all  the  time  we  were  away  than  can  be 
seen  in  one  week  in  the  city  of  Boston.  But 
gambling  exists  to  an  alarming  extent,  although 
no  more  among  the  natives  than  among  the  for- 
eign population.  Poker  is  the  favorite  game ; 
playing  cards  without  money  is  never  thought  of ; 
whist  parties,  composed  of  both  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, meet  regularly  Sunday  nights  to  play  "con 
dinero  "  (for  money). 

In  Guatemala,  as  in  all  these  countries,  Sunday 
is  the  great  holiday.  The  market  is  then  most 
crowded  ;  the  stores  most  largely  patronized  ;  the 
best  plays  are  presented  at  the  Opera  ;  and  the  bull 
fight  occurs.  There  are  very  few,  even  among 
the  Americans,  who  observe  the  Sabbath  after 
they  have  been  there  a  while. 

It  is  surprising  how  soon  Germans  and  Ameri- 
cans fall  into  the  ways  of  the  country,  giving 
as  their  excuse  a  phrase  we  heard  until  we  were 
heartily  disgusted,  "  Hay  la  costumbre  en  Centre 


1 78        A   HOPELESS  FEATURE   OF  SOCIETY. 

America"  ("It  is  the  custom  in  Central  America"), 
as  if  with  a  change  of  climate  it  were  necessary 
to  change  one's  sense  of  propriety,  and  even  one's 
ideas  of  right  and  wrong. 

The  prevalence  of  smoking  has  been  alluded  to. 
It  sounds  rather  peculiar,  but  is  no  uncommon 
question  to  ask  a  lady  if  she  smokes,  and  many 
foreign  ladies,  both  young  and  old,  adopt  the  prac- 
tice, although  we  are  happy  to  say  we  saw  no 
American  ladies  who  smoked. 

One  of  the  most  hopeless  features  in  regard 
to  the  state  of  society  there  is  this  lack  of 
a  sense  of  responsibility  on  the  part  of  foreign- 
ers, both  Americans  and  Germans.  They  are 
a  superior  race,  who  have  had  better  advan- 
tages, and  are  so  looked  upon  by  the  people ; 
but  instead  of  doing  anything  to  elevate  the 
country,  the  majority  of  them  simply  adopt  its 
vices  and  then  condemn  the  people  for  the  same 
sins. 

Our  personal  experience  with  the  people  was  so 
pleasant  that  we  dislike  to  think  at  all  of  their 
faults.  We  met  many  truly  good  people,  whose 
kindness  impressed  us  more  than  the  wickedness 
of  the  greater  number,  and  makes  us  feel  well 


AN  UNFLATTERING  PICTURE.  1 79 

disposed  toward  the  whole.  Travel  across  the 
country  as  we  did,  and  partake  of  their  hospitality, 
and  remember  their  origin  and  history,  and  you 
will  love  them  in  spite  of  their  wickedness.  But 
if  you  want  to  be  convinced  of  the  doctrine  of 
total  depravity,  get  some  of  the  foreign  residents 
of  Guatemala  to  talking  about  the  natives.  They 
will  grant  them  no  excellences  whatever.  They 
will  tell  you  the  people  are  false,  deceitful,  treach- 
erous, and  desperately  wicked ;  that  they  are 
polite  and  say  kind  things  without  meaning  a 
word  of  it,  simply  to  flatter  you  and  make  you 
pleased  with  yourself  and  them  ;  and  that  they 
never  do  a  kindness  save  from  a  selfish  motive. 
We  could  not  believe  this,  and  on  mentioning  one 
and  another,  even  all  of  the  natives  with  whom  we 
had  any  dealings,  we  were  always  assured  that 
these  were  indeed  most  excellent  and  thoroughly 
good  men.  Was  it,  then,  that  we  met  only  excep- 
tions ?  If  so,  we  are  glad,  and  we  know  at  least 
there  were  some  as  good  and  true  as  live  in  any 
part  of  the  world. 

Two  characteristics  of  the  people  (most  trying 
to  all  who  deal  with  them)  are  certainly  to  be  con- 
demned. These  are  their  indolence  and  dilatori- 


180  THE   OTHER  SIDE. 

ness.  They  are  slow  and  lazy,  as  a  rule,  and  will 
never  do  to-day  what  can  be  put  off  until  to- 
morrow. They  lack  the  energy  and  enterprise 
so  characteristic  of  Americans.  But  then,  again, 
we  could  well  learn  from  them  both  patience  and 
amiability.  They  did  seem  the  most  patient, 
amiable  people  in  the  world.  We  never  saw  a 
person  among  them  in  an  ill  humor,  never  heard 
any  cross  words,  or  witnessed  a  single  quarrel. 
Americans  might  learn  much,  too,  from  this  sim- 
ple, warm-hearted  people  in  politeness,  courtesy, 
and  hospitality,  for  as  compared  with  them  we  are 
cold,  stiff,  formal,  and  selfish. 

They  have  many  little  expressions  of  salutation 
and  leave-taking,  and  forms  of  compliment,  which 
have  no  equivalents  in  English,  but  which  are 
very  pretty  and  very  pleasing  to  the  traveller  who 
knows  a  little  of  the  language.  You  can  but  feel 
more  kindly  disposed  toward  the  bright,  black- 
eyed  young  fellow  who  takes  care  of  your  room, 
when  he  greets  you  every  morning  in  a  pleas- 
ant way  with  "buenos  dias,"  and  on  bringing 
you  your  candle  at  night  says,  "duerme  bien" 
("sleep  well"),  or  "pasa  buena  noche";  and  you 
cannot  feel  half  as  irritated  over  a  poor  bargain 


A   BIRD'S-EYE    VIEW  OF  HISTORY.  l8l 

at  one  of  the  stores  when  the  clerk  politely  bows 
you  out  with  an  "  adios." 

If  Spanish  politeness  is  false  and  hollow  we  did 
not  find  it  out.  If  kind  words  were  said  without 
meaning,  simply  to  make  us  pleased  with  the 
speaker,  the  result  was  surely  accomplished,  and 
we  felt  more  kindly  disposed  toward  the  whole  of 
Guatemala  for  the  pleasant  words  spoken  in  that 
musical  language.  Many  acts  of  real  kindness  and 
self-sacrifice  we  know  were  extended  us  from  the 
pure  good  will  of  the  people  ;  if  any  were  done 
from  a  selfish  motive,  it  is  no  more  than  we  meet 
with  every  day  at  home.  From  our  personal 
experience  with  the  people  from  first  to  last,  we 
can  but  speak  with  affection  and  gratitude  of  all. 

The  history  of  Guatemala  may  be  given  in  a 
few  words.  Conquered  in  1524  by  the  Spaniards, 
it  was  under  their  rule  until  1821,  when  it  threw 
off  the  yoke  ;  and  now  it  celebrates  that  occasion 
on  September  15  of  every  year,  as  we  do  the  4th 
of  July.  It  was  then  annexed  to  the  Mexican 
empire  under  Iturbide,  but  in  1823  became  a  part 
of  the  Central  American  Federal  Republic.  This 
union  did  not  last  very  long,  and  Guatemala,  after 
being  conquered  by  San  Salvador,  finally  defeated 


182 


RECENT  EVEXTS. 


the  Hondurians  and  Salvadorians,  and  established 
its  independence  under  Carrera  in  1851.  Since 
then  its  development  has  been  retarded  by  petty 
wars,  by  the  destruction  of  many  villages  and 
cities  by  earthquake,  and  by  revolutions.  The 
Liberal  party  came  into  power  in  1870.  The 
archbishop  and  the  Jesuits  were  driven  into  exile, 
and  when  Barrios  became  President,  in  1872,  the 
order  was  declared  extinct  and  its  property  con- 
fiscated. His  work  has  already  been  described. 
Barillas  succeeded  him  as  President. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

GUATEMALA    TO    PANAMA. 

THE  area  of  Guatemala  is  estimated  at  from  forty 
to  over  fifty  thousand  square  miles.  An  accurate 
statement  is  impossible,  because  the  boundaries 
are  not  settled  and  surveys  are  few  and  imperfect. 
It  is  divided  into  twenty  departments,  each  of 
which  has  a  "jefe  politico"  (governor). 

Its  mountainous  character  has  already  many 
times  been  mentioned.  The  range  is  a  part  of 
the  Andes  and  affords  magnificent  and  varied 
scenery,  being  always  clad  in  verdure,  and  having 
beautiful  terraces,  many  mountain  streams  and 
waterfalls,  enormous  ravines  and  precipices  of  the 
wildest  description.  The  number  of  volcanoes  is 
very  great,  estimated  at  thirty-one,  of  which  at 
least  five  are  active.  The  most  famous  and  high- 
est, Agua,  fourteen  thousand  feet  high,  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  cones  in  the  world,  has  already 
been  described. 

183 


1 84  RICH  RESOURCES. 

So  much  of  the  land  being  elevated,  the  climate 
is  very  agreeable  and  healthful,  save  in  the  hot, 
moist  coast-lands,  where  malaria  lurks  and  seizes 
every  visitor  who  lingers. 

Guatemala  is  very  rich  in  resources,  which  as 
yet  have  been  very  little  developed.  Many  of 
the  strata  are  metalliferous,  though  few  mines 
are  worked.  Silver,  lead,  coal,  and  marble  are 
found,  and  the  Spaniards  obtained,  during  their 
rule,  forty  million  pesos  (dollars)  of  silver  in 
Chiquimula,  where  mines  are  still  worked,  though 
with  poorer  results. 

Many  valuable  woods  are  found,  there  being 
upwards  of  one  hundred  kinds  of  timber  trees. 
The  other  chief  products  are  coffee,  —  now  the 
most  important,  gradually  superseding  that  of 
cochineal,  formerly  the  greatest  product,  —  maize, 
frijoles,  rice,  wheat,  indigo,  cocoa,  sarsaparilla, 
tobacco,  sugar,  vanilla,  chili,  and  many  fruits. 
The  great  need  is  capitalists  to  develop  the 
country  and  make  use  of  its  wonderful  natu- 
ral advantages  and  resources.  Those  who  have 
already  come  are  principally  Germans,  and  that 
they  are  making  money  there  is  no  doubt. 

The  lack  of  facilities  for  travelling  is  the  first 


NEED   OF  RAILROADS.  185 

great  obstacle  to  be  overcome  in  the  development 
of  the  country. 

We  heard  of  but  two  railroads,  that  from  Guate- 
mala City  to  San  Jose,  a  distance  of  ninety  miles  ; 
and  one  from  Champerico  a  short  distance  into  the 
interior.  The  roads  are  mostly  narrow  paths,  very 
few  suitable  for  carriages,  very  bad  even  in  the 
dry  season,  and  in  the  rainy,  almost  impassable. 
Bridges  are  few,  and  generally  in  poor  condition. 
But  there  is  steady  advance  in  this  direction ; 
much  was  done  during  Barrios'  administration. 
It  must  be  remembered  there  are  many  obstacles 
to  overcome,  the  great  mountains  and  huge 
ravines.  It  seemed  to  us,  as  we  traversed  the 
mountains  in  the  last  of  the  way  to  Guatemala, 
that  it  would  never  be  possible  to  have  anything 
but  that  narrow  path ;  still,  afterward,  when  we 
saw  what  engineering  had  accomplished  from 
Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico,  it  seemed  that  a  railroad 
might  be  possible  even  here.  Should  there  ever 
be  one  from  Panzos  to  Guatemala  City  by  the 
route  which  we  took,  a  most  wonderful  and  beau- 
tiful journey  would  be  open  to  the  tourist.  There 
could  hardly  be  a  more  interesting  trip  to  one  liking 
to  depart  from  the  great  highways  of  travel  and  see 


1 86  GOOD-BYE    TO    GUATEMALA. 

man  in  his  primitive  condition  and  nature  in  her 
own  magnificence  and  beauty ;  but  at  present  the 
hardships  to  be  endured  will  prevent  all,  save  a 
very  few,  from  ever  going,  and  will  detract  from 
the  pleasure  of  those  who  have  the  courage  to 
venture. 

Having  passed  two  weeks  in  the  capital  very 
pleasantly,  we  were  ready  to  continue  our  journey. 
From  here  only  ninety  miles  remained  to  com- 
plete the  trip  across  the  entire  republic  of  Guate- 
mala, from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  side,  and 
this  last  portion,  much  to  our  relief,  we  were 
enabled  to  accomplish  by  rail. 

The  morning  of  our  departure  many  of  the 
friends  we  had  made  during  our  stay  were  at  the 
station  to  see  us  off,  and  it  was  with  real  regret 
that  we  parted  with  them  and  with  the  city, 
where  we  had  spent  many  pleasant  days. 

The  train  started  at  8  A.  M.,  reaching  San  Jose 
at  about  2  p.  M.  The  road  is  descending  all  the 
way  from  the  elevation  of  Guatemala,  over  four 
thousand  feet,  to  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  the 
grade  is  so  steep  that  for  most  of  the  way  no 
power  is  used  and  even  then  it  is  necessary  to  put 
on  the  brakes.  The  ride  is  for  the  most  part 


SAN  JOSE.  IS/ 

uninteresting,  relieved  only  by  the  views  of  the 
mountains  and  the  beautiful  Lake  Amatitlan,  and 
by  crowds  gathered  at  every  station,  the  ever- 
interesting  Indians  selling  fruits  and  "dulce" 
(sweets).  As  we  came  down  from  the  height 
we  suffered  exceedingly  from  the  heat  and  dust, 
which  made  the  journey  so  unpleasant  that  we 
began  to  think  it  was  not  possible  to  travel  com- 
fortably, under  any  circumstances,  in  this  country. 
Here  we  had  occasion  to  observe  another  Spanish 
custom,  that  of  the  gentlemen  all  smoking  in  the 
cars  in  the  presence  of  the  ladies,  there  being  no 
smoking-car  on  the  train. 

The  port  of  San  Jose  is  the  usual  small  Indian 
town.  The  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company  has 
an  agent  living  there,  an  American,  with  whom 
we  had  previously  become  acquainted,  and  at 
whose  house  we  spent  a  few  hours  before  taking 
the  steamer.  There  is  no  harbor  at  San  Jose ;  it 
is  simply  a  "  roadstead,"  for  the  whole  Pacific 
coast  from  San  Francisco  to  the  Isthmus  is  a 
sandy  beach,  with  no  good  harbors.  The  mighty 
ocean  has  full  sweep  and  offers  one  of  the  grand- 
est exhibitions  of  its  power  in  the  raging  tumultu- 
ous surf  with  which  it  breaks  upon  the  shore. 


1 88  TREMENDOUS  SURF. 

There  is  nothing  at  any  of  our  beaches  at  all  com- 
parable with  the  tremendous  surf  we  saw  at  San 
Jose.  Huge  waves,  mountains  high,  white  and 
foaming,  broke  on  the  beach  with  a  deafening  roar 
and  such  awful  power  and  fury  as  to  make  one 
shrink  from  the  thought  of  launching  upon  its 
waters.  A  long  iron  pier  has  been  built  far  out 
into  the  water  beyond  the  greatest  force  of  the 
breakers,  but  steamers  are  not  able  to  come  even 
to  the  end  of  that,  and  are  obliged  to  anchor  two 
miles  from  shore.  Landing  passengers  over  such 
a  raging  sea  is  both  difficult  and  dangerous,  and 
sometimes  in  a  storm  the  water  is  so  rough  that 
steamers  refuse  to  receive  or  land  passengers,  and 
oblige  those  on  board  to  go  on  to  the  end  of  the 
voyage,  and  take  their  chances  of  landing  on  the 
return  trip. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  in  San  Jose,  the  captain 
of  the  steamer  on  which  we  were  to  sail  sent  word 
for  passengers  to  come  on  board  early,  as  the  sea 
was  very  rough  that  afternoon.  Before  we  reached 
the  steamer  we  had  to  undergo  a  series  of  novel 
experiences ;  novel  even  to  us,  after  all  we  had 
passed  through.  On  the  pier  we  were  beset  by  a 
numerous  crowd  of  boys  claiming  a  "real"  apiece 


FLEECING.  189 

for  bringing  our  baggage  from  the  cars  to  the 
pier.  After  we  had  paid  more  boys  than  we  had 
pieces  of  baggage,  they  still  kept  appearing,  each 
claiming  he  had  carried  this  or  that,  and  all  look- 
ing so  much  alike,  with  their  dark  faces,  that  it  was 
impossible  for  us  to  recognize  the  ones  we  had 
engaged.  We  were  disposing  of  our  last  "reales," 
and  all  the  small  boys  in  San  Jose  were  getting 
rich,  when  the  agent's  wife,  well  acquainted  with 
these  urchins,  interposed  in  our  behalf  and  sent 
them  off.  Then  our  baggage  was  weighed  and 
we  were  charged  the  exorbitant  sum  of  five  dol- 
lars and  fifty  cents  for  the  privilege  of  crossing 
the  iron  pier. 

The  next  performance  was  as  unique  as  it  was 
unpleasant.  At  the  end  of  the  pier  was  a  large 
iron  cage  attached  to  a  system  of  pulleys.  In 
this  cage  the  passengers,  five  or  six  at  a  time, 
were  let  down  from  the  pier  into  a  large  flat-bot- 
tomed boat  loaded  with  coffee.  I  must  say  I 
shrank  from  the  transit,  and  we  waited  to  be  the 
last.  As  soon  as  we  were  fairly  seated  and  had 
grasped  the  iron  bars,  the  machinery  moved  with 
a  dismal  grating  sound,  the  men  on  the  pier  gave 
the  cage  a  push  and  down  it  went  into  the  bobbing 


19°  TOSSED  BY   THE  BILLOWS. 

boat  below.  The  process  of  being  lowered  was 
quite  a  quick  one,  but  the  sensation  when  the 
cage  was  swung  off  the  wharf,  out  over  the  raging 
sea,  was  not  at  all  pleasant.  The  launch  into 
which  we  were  lowered  was  rocking  so  that  we 
had  to  make  great  haste  to  be  seated,  and  were 
glad  to  cling  to  the  baggage  so  as  not  to  fall  over- 
board. In  this  coffee  launch,  with  the  rays  of  the 
hot  sun  pouring  down  upon  our  heads,  we  were 
obliged  to  sit,  tossed  up  and  down  by  the  billows, 
until  a  tugboat  came  and  towed  us  out  to  the 
steamer.  The  poor  tug  had  a  hard  struggle  with 
the  foaming  billows,  and  was  tossed  about  like  a 
chip,  sometimes  riding  the  crest  of  a  great  wave, 
and  then  entirely  disappearing  in  the  trough  of 
the  sea.  It  went  first  to  the  right,  then  to  the 
left,  and  staggered  like  a  drunken  man,  but 
finally  brought  us  safely  to  the  steamer.  Even  at 
this  distance  from  shore,  where  the  steamer  was 
anchored,  the  waves  were  too  rough  for  it  to  be 
safe  for  passengers  to  mount  the  steps  ;  so  a  barrel 
was  lowered  into  the  launch,  and  in  this,  one  at  a 
time,  we  were  pulled  up  into  the  steamer. 

Once  on  board  and  fairly  out  of  Guatemala,  we 
felt  the  truth  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  saying,  "  The  plea- 


A   BITTER-SWEET  EXPERIENCE  IQI 

sure  in  travelling  is  to  have  travelled,"  and  now, 
while  we  think  of  that  country  with  affectionate 
interest,  we  can  but  say  our  pleasure  in  seeing 
Guatemala  is  to  have  seen  it ;  and,  should  we  ever 
go  there  again,  we  should  take  the  Pacific  Mail 
from  New  York  and  content  ourselves  with  a  visit 
to  the  capital  and  vicinity,  the  most  interesting 
part  of  the  republic. 

The  journey  across  the  country,  with  all  its 
strange,  odd,  and  interesting  experiences,  will  live 
always  in  our  memory,  and  form  part  of  our  wak- 
ing and  sleeping  dreams.  It  was  a  mixture  of 
bitter  and  sweet,  of  which  the  former  impressed 
us  most  then,  the  latter  now.  It  is  an  experience 
we  would  not  part  with  for  "  the  wealth  of 
Ormus  or  of  Ind."  It  is  one  we  would  not  repeat 
for  twice  that  sum. 

The  steamer  San  Jose,  on  which  we  were  em- 
barked, was  one  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Line,  sailing 
from  San  Francisco  to  the  Isthmus.  It  was  a  fine 
large  steamer,  perfect  in  every  respect,  and  we 
fully  appreciated  its  excellences. 

There  were  not  many  passengers,  and  very  few 
who  spoke  English.  I  was  the  only  lady.  Two  of 
the  passengers  in  particular  attracted  our  atten- 


IQ2  TWO  FIGURES. 

tion,  a  French  priest,  and  his  companion  and 
servant,  a  young  boy  of  Guatemala.  The  priest 
was  a  queer,  wiry,  sharp-featured  man  who  was 
bound  to  be  first  in  everything.  He  was  just 
ahead  of  us  in  buying  his  ticket,  and  we  had  to 
wait  a  good  part  of  half  an  hour  while  he  counted 
out  his  fare  and  the  boy's  in  "real"  (i2}^-cent) 
pieces.  When  we  were  about  to  get  on  to  the 
steamer  from  the  launch,  he  pressed  forward  in 
eagerness  to  be  ahead.  The  captain  shouted, 
"  Let  the  lady  come  first " ;  but  he  didn't  under- 
stand English,  and  jumped  into  the  barrel  as  soon 
as  it  was  lowered.  For  some  reason  he  was  very 
anxious  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  my  father, 
and  would  obtain  a  few  English  words  from  a  Ger- 
man who  talked  with  him,  that  he  might  be  able 
to  make  a  little  conversation.  That  he  was  sincere 
in  his  calling  we  could  not  doubt,  and  for  that 
respected  him.  He  read  his  prayer-book  hour 
after  hour,  and  was  most  faithful  in  his  devotions. 
The  boy  who  attended  him  was,  like  most  of  the 
boys  of  Guatemala,  very  interesting,  with  the  char- 
acteristic traits  of  the  people,  bright,  quiet,  docile, 
and  very  devoted  to  the  old  priest,  who  kept  him 
studying  French  and  the  prayer-book  all  day. 


BLISSFUL   IGNORANCE.  1 93 

This  boy's  ignorance  of  the  world  was  surpris- 
ing, as  we  chanced  to  find  out ;  for,  while  the 
priest  was  once  absent  a  few  minutes,  we  took  oc- 
casion to  try  to  divert  him  with  papers  and  books. 
He  was  pleased  with  the  pictures,  but  regarded 
them  in  a  very  different  light  from  what  we  ex- 
pected ;  for  on  seeing  a  picture  of  Lydia  Pinkham 
he  looked  very  reverent,  and  asked  if  it  was 
not  sacred.  To  him  pictures  of  women  were 
representations  of  saints  and  angels  to  be  wor- 
shipped, and  he  will  never  know  they  can  repre- 
sent simply  inventors  of  patent  medicines. 

We  sailed  in  the  evening,  and  one  night  brought 
us  to  La  Libertad,  a  port  of  San  Salvador.  Here 
the  steamer  stopped  all  day  loading  coffee,  and  it 
was  very  hot. 

The  next  day  we  were  in  sight  of  three  repub- 
lics, San  Salvador,  Honduras,  and  Nicaragua. 
All  along  this  coast  there  are  volcanoes ;  one 
in  San  Salvador,  named  Izalco,  has  an  eruption 
every  fifteen  minutes. 

The  water  was  smooth  and  beautiful  all  day ;  and 
it  was  delightful  sailing,  except  for  the  heat,  which 
was  the  greatest  we  had  yet  experienced.  That 
night  there  was  a  "norther,"  and  the  wind  howled 


194  A   "NORTHER." 

furiously  and  the  great  ship  rocked  and  creaked 
fearfully  for  a  few  hours.  These  "  northers  "  blow 
several  months  during  the  year,  and  are  the  great 
dread  of  all  navigators  ;  not  that  they  are  really 
so  dangerous  if  the  ship  is  kept  out  from  the  land, 
but  the  wind  is  so  cold  as  to  almost  chill  the  blood 
in  one's  veins,  and  so  powerful  that  the  ship  can 
make  scarcely  an  inch  of  progress,  and  is  only 
tossed  about  at  the  mercy  of  the  gale  in  a  vain 
battle  against  wind  and  wave. 

The  next  day  the  ocean  was  as  smooth  as  a 
lake ;  we  passed  Costa  Rica,  and  were  near  land. 
We  had  a  most  gorgeous  sunset,  and  a  full  moon 
at  night ;  besides,  the  water  was  all  aglow  with 
brilliant  phosphorescence,  which  looked  like  great 
fiery  serpents  playing  about  the  steamer. 

Wednesday  we  sailed  south  of  the  Isthmus, 
along  the  mountainous  shore  of  Colombia;  for  in 
order  to  get  into  the  Bay  of  Panama  it  is  neces- 
sary to  go  several  hundred  miles  along  the  coast 
of  South  America.  It  was  a  lonely,  mountainous, 
rocky  shore,  though  rather  strange  and  interest- 
ing. 

Thursday,  at  9  A.M.,  we  were  in  the  Bay  of  Pan- 
ama and  at  the  end  of  our  voyage,  but  had  to 


THE   "PEACEFUL"   OCEAN.  1 95 

wait  until  afternoon  for  a  tug  to  come  after  us  and 
take  us  ashore.  The  bay  is  very  pretty  and  con- 
tained much  shipping ;  there  were  many  dredgers 
at  work,  dredging  for  De  Lesseps'  canal. 

Our  whole  voyage  had  been  the  perfection  of 
sailing.  The  Pacific  had  demonstrated  the  appro- 
priateness of  its  name,  "  peaceful,"  and  had  been 
as  smooth  as  possible  on  the  whole  passage,  save 
the  one  night  of  the  "norther."  The  weather  was 
perfect,  we  had  most  brilliant  sunsets,  and  a  full 
moon  every  night ;  hence  the  Pacific  Ocean  will 
always  be  associated  most  pleasantly  in  our  minds. 
The  steamer  was  a  fine  one,  the  fare  good,  and 
the  captain  a  pleasant,  dignified  gentleman  and 
an  agreeable  companion. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

PANAMA,    ASPINWALL,    AND    THE    ISTHMUS. 

AFTER  leaving  Guatemala,  our  plan  was  to  visit 
Punta  Arenas,  in  Costa  Rica,  where  my  father 
wished  to  inspect  the  coffee  crop ;  from  there  we 
purposed  to  go  to  the  Isthmus,  and  thence  to  Vera 
Cruz,  by  the  first  route  which  should  present  itself. 

As  it  happened,  the  San  Jose  did  not  stop  at 
Punta  Arenas,  as  we  had  at  first  expected.  This, 
however,  was  no  great  disappointment  to  us,  for 
we  knew  exactly  what  the  place  must  be  —  a 
hot,  unhealthy  Indian  town,  where  we  might  be 
obliged  to  stay  several  weeks  before  getting  pas- 
sage in  any  steamer.  But  coffee  was  the  one 
great  object  of  this  journey ;  my  father's  zeal  was 
so  great  (and  mine  had  become  as  great  as  his), 
that  we  should  have  endured  without  complaining 
all  the  discomforts  of  this  coast  town,  had  we 
been  obliged  to  stop  there. 

On  arriving  at  the  Isthmus,  we  were  greatly 
rejoiced  to  learn  that  a  steamer  was  advertised  to 
196 


THE  HAND   OF  PROVIDENCE.  1 97 

sail  the  next  day  from  Aspinwall,  the  other  side  of 
the  Isthmus,  to  New  Orleans.  From  the  accounts 
we  heard  of  the  unhealthiness  of  the  Isthmus 
we  were  anxious  to  get  away  from  it  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  that  we  should  thus  arrive  just  in 
time  for  the  steamer  was,  as  we  afterward  found, 
a  matter  of  the  greatest  good  fortune. 

Surely  the  hand  of  Providence  guided  us  all  the 
way  through  this  journey,  and  made  "all  things 
work  together  for  good."  The  manner  in  which 
we  had  made  connections,  in  a  country  where  trav- 
ellers are  often  delayed  weeks,  and  even  months, 
was  truly  wonderful.  From  the  time  we  left  New 
Orleans,  we  had  not  been  able  to  plan  definitely 
any  further  than  from  one  point  to  another,  yet  we 
had  spent  just  the  amount  of  time  we  wished  in 
each  place,  and  had  experienced  but  few  and  short 
delays.  Every  one  who  knew  of  our  journey  across 
Guatemala  said  it  had  been  accomplished  with  an 
expedition  unprecedented.  Then,  to  crown  all, 
we  were  not  obliged  to  linger  in  the  unhealthy 
Isthmus,  a  possibility  we  had  feared. 

The  unhealthiness  of  the  Isthmus  can  scarcely 
be  exaggerated.  The  yellow  and  the  Chagres 
fevers  reign  supreme ;  men  die  like  dogs  in  the 


AN  UNHEALTHY  CLIMATE. 

street,  and  no  attention  is  paid  to  them.  Trav- 
ellers have  been  known  to  go  on  shore  in  per- 
fect health  and  die  before  the  next  morning.  We 
were  told  that  any  day  one  could  see  fifty  fresh 
graves  in  the  cemetery. 

The  place  was  full  of  Frenchmen,  engaged  in 
the  work  of  the  canal,  and  this  addition  to  the 
population  greatly  increased  the  unhealthiness. 
There  is  no  attention  whatever  paid  to  drainage, 
neither  are  there  any  sanitary  regulations.  When 
the  tide  is  out  the  hot  sun  beats  down  on  the  flats, 
and  a  miasma  like  a  cloud  rises,  bringing  malaria 
and  death. 

Passengers  on  the  Pacific  Mail  steamers  are  not 
allowed  to  go  on  shore  even  for  a  night,  but  are 
always  kept  on  board  until  the  steamer  is  ready  to 
sail  from  the  other  side  of  the  Isthmus,  no  matter 
how  long  that  may  be. 

As  our  steamer  was  advertised  to  sail  at  noon 
the  next  day,  we  were  obliged  to  spend  one  night 
on  shore,  and  were  strongly  advised  to  stay  in 
Panama  as  preferable  to  Aspinwall. 

We  arrived  in  the  bay  in  the  morning ;  but,  as 
before  stated,  the  steamer  was  obliged  to  anchor 
out  from  land,  and  we  had  to  wait  until  afternoon 


A    WRETCHED  NIGHT.  1 99 

for  the  tug  to  take  us  over  to  Panama.  We  found 
it  a  most  wretched  place.  The  streets  were  nar- 
row ;  the  houses  were  old  and  dilapidated ;  and 
the  air  was  hot,  and  laden  with  disease. 

We  went  at  once  to  the  "Grand  Central"  ho- 
tel, the  best  in  the  place  —  a  new  building,  but 
already  beginning  to  look  old,  for  the  climate 
in  a  short  time  ruins  everything.  It  was  situated 
on  one  side  of  the  Plaza,  opposite  an  old  crum- 
bling cathedral.  There  was  a  most  terrible  odor 
pervading  the  whole  house,  exactly  like  that  of 
a  decaying  corpse,  and  very  likely  it  was  ;  for  next 
morning  we  read  in  one  of  the  papers  of  a  half- 
decomposed  dead  body  being  found  under  one  of 
the  hotels.  We  could  neither  eat  nor  sleep,  and 
felt  as  if  in  a  charnel-house. 

After  passing  a  wretched  night,  we  took  the 
train  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  cross 
the  Isthmus.  It  is  only  a  three  hours'  ride, 
but  the  fare  is  twenty-five  dollars  in  American 
gold ;  that  is,  for  a  foreigner, —  a  native  goes  for 
ten  dollars. 

There  was  no  place  we  ever  found  that  was  such 
a  perfect  Jew  shop  as  the  Isthmus.  If  one  escapes 
the  fever  and  ague,  the  people  do  their  best  to  get 


2OO  CROSSING    THE  ISTHMUS. 

all  his  money  away  from  him.  We  had  been 
warned  of  this,  and  instructed  by  the  captain  what 
prices  to  pay,  but  could  never  seem  to  carry  out 
our  friend's  advice.  For  instance,  he  told  us  just 
what  sum  to  give  for  a  carriage  to  take  us  to  the 
train,  telling  us  to  ask  no  questions  of  the  driver, 
but  offer  him  the  proper  amount  without  a  word. 
We  did  so,  whereupon  the  fellow  demanded  more ; 
and  when  we  explained  that  was  the  usual  fare,  he 
had  the  audacity  to  tell  us  that  we  had  to  pay 
more  because  we  were  Americans. 

The  ride  across  the  Isthmus  disclosed  to  us 
a  miserable  country, —  hot,  swampy,  unhealthy. 
There  were  frequent  stations,  but  they  were  only 
wretched  little  negro  villages,  and  all  along  the 
way  were  numerous  graveyards  and  fresh  graves ; 
for  the  soil,  composed  of  decaying  vegetation, 
breathes  out  death  as  soon  as  overturned  by  the 
spade. 

In  building  the  railroad,  it  has  been  said  that 
every  sleeper  cost  a  man's  life ;  and  without  doubt 
as  many  if  not  more  lives  will  be  sacrificed  in  the 
digging  of  the  canal. 

Everywhere  work  on  the  canal  was  visible ;  but 
there  seemed  little  connection  between  the  differ- 


COLON.  201 

ent  portions  of  the  work,  and  nothing  like  more 
than  a  mere  beginning.  We  were  told  by  one  of 
the  engineers  that  so  far  only  the  "  installation  " 
was  done,  only  ten  million  of  the  required  two 
hundred  and  fifty  million  cubic  metres  of  earth 
had  yet  been  removed.  The  undertaking  is  a 
vast  one,  far  exceeding  that  of  the  Suez  canal, 
and  every  one  there  believed  it  would  not  be 
finished  for  many  years. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  arrived  in  Aspinwall,  or,  as  it 
is  always  called  there,  Colon,  this  being  the 
real  name  of  the  place,  given  by  the  people  in 
honor  of  Columbus ;  Aspinwall  is  the  name 
given  by  the  Americans,  but  is  not  used  on 
the  Isthmus. 

It  is  quite  impossible  to  say  which  place  is  the 
worse,  Colon  or  Panama.  Everybody  in  Panama 
said,  "  It  is  not  healthy  here,  to  be  sure,  but  not 
nearly  as  bad  as  Colon  "  ;  and  in  Colon  they  all 
said,  "  It  is  much  healthier  here  than  in  Panama." 
From  our  own  experience  we  concluded  that  both 
places  were  as  bad  as  they  could  be. 

One  cause  for  the  great  mortality  in  both  places 
is  the  excessive  intemperance.  Nowhere  is  tem- 
perance more  necessary,  and  nowhere  is  it  prac- 


2O2  DRINK  AND    THE   FEVER. 

tised  less.  There  is  great  mortality  among  the 
French,  because  they  indulge  so  freely  in  wine. 
Sailors  drink  as  soon  as  they  get  on  shore,  and 
consequently  many  of  them  die  before  they  ever 
get  back  to  the  ship.  Many  of  the  Americans 
coming  here  start  for  a  saloon  as  soon  as  they 
land,  almost  invariably  come  down  with  yellow 
fever,  and  frequently  die  in  a  few  hours.  A 
native  of  South  America  —  like  all  these  people, 
far  from  a  total  abstainer — added  his  testimony  to 
the  necessity  of  temperance  in  these  countries 
where  there  is  yellow  fever.  He  said  if  any  one 
would  be  strictly  temperate  he  could  with  per- 
fect safety  go  through  a  place  where  an  epidemic 
of  yellow  fever  was  raging,  and  that  he  himself 
never  took  the  least  quantity  of  intoxicating 
drinks  when  in  a  region  where  the  disease  was 
prevailing. 

We  found  Colon  a  most  wretched  place ;  hot, 
dirty,  and  producing  the  same  ghastly  impres- 
sion as  did  Panama.  The  railway  station  in 
which  we  were  obliged  to  wait,  was  merely  a 
baggage-room,  without  a  single  chair,  and  was 
full  of  Jamaica  negroes,  as  rough  and  lawless  a 
set  of  beings  as  can  be  found. 


DEATH  IN   THE   ATR.  2O3 

Supposing  we  had  but  two  hours  before  the 
sailing  of  the  steamer,  we  hastened  to  make  the 
necessary  arrangements,  but  were  greatly  per- 
plexed in  not  being  able  to  find  any  one  with 
whom  we  needed  to  confer,  as  they  were  all  sick 
with  chills  and  fever.  The  steamer  was  not  in 
dock ;  the  agent  not  to  be  found  ;  and  the 
American  consul,  who  had  letters  for  us,  was 
likewise  missing.  We  met  with  obstacles  every- 
where, and  had  infinite  trouble. 

Furthermore,  as  we  learned  afterwards,  the 
place  was  in  such  a  turbulent  state  from  a  rebel- 
lion which  was  just  beginning,  that  it  was  not 
safe  to  be  on  the  streets,  and  our  lives  were  in 
constant  danger. 

Finally,  we  learned  that  the  steamer  would  not 
be  ready  to  sail  for  a  day  or  two,  but  that  all 
the  passages  were  even  then  engaged.  The 
prospect  was  most  disheartening,  for  the  thought 
of  staying  on  shore  another  night  at  one  of  the 
hotels  was  appalling.  There  was  a  feeling  of 
death  and  danger  in  the  very  atmosphere  ;•  and 
although  I  was  perfectly  well,  and  had  no  fear 
for  myself,  I  was  alarmed  for  my  father,  for  he 
had  been  very  ill  three  days  in  our  voyage  on 


204  TEMPTED    TO  RETREAT. 

the  Pacific,  and  the  night  before,  in  Panama,  had 
been  very  sick  again. 

We  both  began  to  feel  very  discouraged.  We 
had  slept  in  mud  huts,  in  the  open  air,  lived  on 
Indian  fare,  and  encountered  many  hardships 
cheerfully ;  but  now  for  the  first  and  only  time 
(although  neither  of  us  acknowledged  it  until  we 
got  home)  we  felt  like  giving  up,  and  almost 
wished  we  had  never  undertaken  this  journey. 

Finally  we  decided  to  get  our  baggage  down 
to  the  wharf,  and  see  if  we  could  not  get  on 
board  the  steamer,  for  once  on  the  water  we 
should  feel  perfectly  safe.  As  we  walked  through 
the  wretched  streets  to  the  wharf,  I  thought  of 
the  fine  Pacific  Mail  steamer  to  sail  that  night 
for  New  York,  and  said  :  — 

"  Father,  let  us  take  the  Pacific  Mail  steamer 
and  go  home." 

"  Do  you  want  to  give  up  Mexico  ? "  he  an- 
swered ;  and,  perceiving  by  a  few  words  that  he 
was  firm,  I  said  no  more. 

We  reached  the  wharf  just  as  the  steamer 
came  into  dock.  My  father,  in  his  eagerness, 
climbed  over  a  big  post,  with  more  agility  than 
I  could  have  supposed  possible,  and  was  on  board 


THE  ELOQUENCE  OF  DESPAIR. 

the  steamer  before  she  had  fairly  landed.  As  I 
anxiously  awaited  the  result,  the  words  I  heard 
from  the  captain  sounded  like  a  knell :  — 

"  All  first-class  passages  engaged.  Your  bag- 
gage can  be  put  on,  but  we  are  not  ready  for 
passengers  until  to-morrow." 

But,  feeling  that  this  was  our  only  refuge,  my 
father  used  all  the  persuasion  and  eloquence  of 
which  he  was  capable,  to  induce  the  captain  to 
take  us.  He  was  reluctant  to  do  so,  because  he 
had  not  suitable  accommodations  for  us ;  but  my 
father  declared  we  would  eat  anything,  and  sleep 
on  deck  if  necessary.  Finally  he  said  :  — 

"  There  stands  my  daughter  on  the  wharf,  and 
I  believe  we  shall  both  die  before  morning  if  we 
have  to  stay  on  shore." 

This  appeal  was  effective,  and  the  captain  con- 
sented to  take  us,  saying  :  — 

"You  may  come  on  board  as  soon  as  the 
plank  is  put  out." 

We  were  not  long  in  getting  ourselves  and 
baggage  on  to  that  steamer ;  and  when  we  had 
our  chairs  placed  on  deck,  we  felt  quite  content, 
not  caring  whether  we  had  a  place  to  sleep,  or 
anything  to  eat,  so  long  as  we  were  out  of  Colon. 


206 


A   FIERY  FURNACE. 


Our  experience  in  the  Isthmus  was  certainly 
the  most  dangerous  and  trying  one  we  had.  I 
felt,  as  I  sat  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  like 
one  who  had  passed  through  a  fiery  furnace 
unscathed.  The  words  of  the  ninety-first  Psalm, 
in  this,  as  in  all  the  other  trying  moments  of  the 
journey,  were  a  veritable  reality:  — 

"A  thousand  shall  fall  at  thy  side,  and  ten 
thousand  at  thy  right  hand;  but  it  shall  not 
come  nigh  thee." 


CHAPTER   XV. 

VOYAGE    IN    AN    ENGLISH    STEAMER. 

THE  steamer  in  which  we  were  to  take  our 
second  passage  across  the  Gulf  was  an  English 
steamer  from  Liverpool  —  the  Legislator,  of  the 
Harrison  line — very  large,  and  carrying  much 
freight,  but  with  accommodations  for  only  a  lim- 
ited number  of  passengers. 

As  the  steamer  could  not  sail  for  a  day  or 
two,  we  were  the  only  passengers  on  board. 
That  night  we  dined  with  the  purser  and  the 
first  and  second  officers,  who  were  very  pleasant 
and  agreeable,  and  excited  our  wonder  and  ad- 
miration to  think  they  could  laugh  and  joke 
while  anchored  at  Colon. 

After  dinner  we  had  a  conversation  with  the 
captain,  whom  we  found  to  be  a  most  intellec- 
tual, cultured,  kind  and  thoughtful  gentleman,  with 
much  of  the  humorous  element,  which  made  him 
a  still  more  agreeable  companion.  From  him  we 

207 


208  A   LAWLESS  STATE   OF  AFFAIRS. 

learned  more  of  the  wretched  condition  of  Colon, 
and  of  the  many  annoyances  suffered  there  by 
himself  and  officers.  They  had  been  waiting  two 
days  to  get  into  dock,  their  berth  being  occupied 
by  a  French  steamer,  and  had  yet  all  their  cargo 
to  discharge,  although  it  was  then  the  day  for  them 
to  sail.  They  had  brought  a  company  of  fifty 
soldiers  to  aid  the  government  in  the  rebellion. 
These  soldiers  had  nearly  exhausted  their  supply 
of  provisions,  and  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
obtain  anything  eatable  in  Colon.  The  captain 
himself  was  just  recovering  from  a  severe  illness 
occasioned  by  being  on  shore  but  a  few  hours 
to  transact  necessary  business. 

We  began  to  realize  then  how  great  an  act  of 
kindness  had  been  done  in  taking  us  on  board, 
and  felt  most  truly  grateful.  The  captain's  ex- 
perience in  getting  a  doctor  very  well  illustrates 
the  lawless  and  dangerous  state  of  affairs  then 
existing.  Being  alarmed  at  his  condition,  two  of 
his  officers  went  on  shore  for  a  physician,  but 
had  not  proceeded  far  when  they  were  arrested, 
and  they  were  only  saved  from  imprisonment  by 
presenting  a  letter  showing  that  the  steamer  had 
just  brought  soldiers  to  aid  the  government,  and 


A  JOYFUL   DEPARTURE. 

was  therefore  entitled  to  protection.  After  fur- 
ther trouble  a  doctor  was  found,  but  he  abso- 
lutely refused  to  go  without  a  guard  of  soldiers  to 
conduct  him.  These  were  finally  obtained,  at- 
tended him  to  the  steamer,  waited  until  he  had 
seen  the  captain,  and  then  conducted  him  back 
again.  He  considered  such  precautions  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  the  protection  of  his  life. 

It  is  very  dangerous  to  be  in  any  of  these 
countries  during  a  revolution,  and  we  began  to 
feel  that  we  had  been  very  fortunate  in  encoun- 
tering no  harm,  and  in  being  able  thus  to  escape 
from  the  country  before  the  worst.  What  the 
place  must  have  been  after  the  rebellion  fairly 
set  in,  can  scarcely  be  imagined  !  We  left  none 
too  soon. 

The  second  day,  Saturday,  in  the  afternoon, 
the  steamer  sailed,  and  we  never  felt  so  happy 
to  leave  any  place  as  we  did  to  leave  Colon. 
It  seemed  strange  that  any  one  would  try  to 
live  in  the  Isthmus ;  but  men  will  risk  their 
lives  for  the  "filthy  lucre,"  and  this  place  offers 
great  inducements. 

The  passengers  were  an  interesting  and  a  mis- 
cellaneous company.  There  was  one  Mexican, 


210  A   MISCELLANEOUS   COMPANY. 

several  Spaniards,  two  Frenchmen,  three  or  four 
Americans,  and  two  Venezuelans ;  but  Spanish 
was  the  language  spoken  throughout  the  voyage. 
The  majority  of  the  passengers  were  from  the 
Isthmus,  and  were  thin,  yellow,  and  sickly  look- 
ing victims  of  chills  and  fever,  or  half  eaten 
up  with  quinine.  They  were  very  wealthy,  and 
were  going  to  visit  the  Exposition,  or  to  travel  in 
the  United  States. 

In  about  an  hour  or  two  after  starting,  the 
steamer  began  to  pitch  some,  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  ourselves  and  one  other  passenger,  every- 
body on  board  was  sea-sick.  Though  it  was  not 
very  rough,  they  were  a  most  dejected  company 
for  several  days,  their  susceptibility  being  due, 
without  doubt,  to  the  fact  that  they  had  been 
living  in  Colon  and  had  been  so  long  without  a 
breath  of  pure  air;  or  it  also  may  have  been  partly 
due  to  the  fact  that  many  of  them  were  Spaniards, 
of  whom  it  is  said  this  liability  to  sea-sickness  is  a 
general  infirmity.  Certainly  in  this  mixed  com- 
pany of  passengers  the  natives  of  Spain  seemed  to 
suffer  the  most. 

Among  the  passengers  was  the  editor  of  the 
Panama  Star  and  Herald,  an  excellent  paper,  in 


AN  ODD  LITTLE  BABY.  211 

three  languages  —  English,  French,  and  Spanish. 
With  him  were  his  wife,  baby,  and  nurse.  They 
furnished  considerable  diversion  for  all  of  us,  — 
especially  the  baby,  an  odd  little  thing  not  much 
more  than  a  year  old,  but  very  bright  and  lively. 
She  looked  like  the  rest  who  lived  in  Colon,  and 
reminded  one  of  Victor  Hugo's  description,  "  A  bit 
of  clay  containing  a  spark,"  but  a  bright  spark  it 
was,  and  shone  merrily  out  of  those  little  black 
eyes  set  in  the  tiny  round  yellow  face.  She  was 
not  sea-sick,  and  consequently  not  quiet.  She 
went  everywhere ;  and  was  found  sometimes  in 
the  pantry,  sometimes  in  the  kitchen,  and  even 
once  succeeded  in  confiscating  a  bunch  of  raisins ; 
a  thing  which  would  have  required  more  skill  than 
any  adult  passenger  possessed,  for  the  ship  was  a 
most  intricate  place  in  which  to  find  one's  way. 
One  night  we  had  a  great  gale,  and  the  captain, 
coming  through  the  saloon  at  midnight,  found, 
much  to  his  astonishment,  this  same  baby  prom- 
enading about  all  alone. 

Among  the  passengers  was  the  Dutch  consul  of 
Panama,  the  son  of  the  Spanish  consul,  a  wealthy 
Mexican  who  spent  his  time  in  travelling,  a  very 
interesting  young  married  lady  of  New  Orleans, 


212  ALL   ANCHORED   ON  DECK. 

whose  husband,  a  cultured  Englishman,  was  one 
of  the  superintendents  of  the  works  at  the 
Isthmus ;  and  a  brother  and  sister,  natives  of 
South  America,  though  the  brother  was  then  a 
resident  of  New  York.  These  two  had  been 
having  a  very  serious  time.  They  started  from 
New  York  to  go  to  Venezuela,  the  brother  to 
accompany  his  sister.  Arriving  at  the  Isthmus 
they  found  their  country  in  such  a  state  of  revo- 
lution that  the  port  was  closed,  and  they  could 
not  enter.  Then  they  were  obliged  to  remain 
in  the  Isthmus  some  three  weeks,  until  the 
arrival  of  this  steamer,  by  which  they  were  going 
to  New  Orleans  to  wait  until  a  cessation  of  the 
troubles. 

Such  was  the  miscellaneous  company  on  board, 
and  any  student  of  human  nature  could  find  ample 
scope  for  all  his  powers,  and  sufficient  amusement 
and  entertainment  from  his  observations. 

The  second  day,  Sunday,  there  was  even  more 
motion  than  on  the  first.  All  the  passengers 
were  on  deck,  and,  as  the  captain  said,  were  "all 
anchored,"  for  everybody  sat  perfectly  quiet  in  an 
easy-chair,  a  deathly  silence  reigned  all  day,  not 
a  sound  was  heard  or  a  movement  made,  save 


A    TERRIBLE   "BLOW."  213 

when  some  poor  victim  visited  the  rail  and  paid 
the  necessary  "tribute  to  Neptune." 

The  next  day  was  smoother,  and  some  of  the 
passengers  even  ventured  to  go  to  the  table ;  but 
in  the  night  there  was  a  gale  of  wind,  and  they 
were  all  sick  again.  That  night  was  a  wretched 
one  for  us.  We  tried,  with  several  others,  sleep- 
ing on  deck  in  our  chairs,  thinking  it  would  be 
better  than  the  crowded  cabin,  but  the  wind 
howled  furiously,  making  frightful  and  unearthly 
sounds  in  the  rigging ;  the  ship  rocked  terribly, 
and  snapped  and  groaned  as  if  coming  to  pieces. 
We  got  but  a  few  snatches  of  sleep,  and  that  was 
disturbed  by  nightmares  and  frightful  dreams. 
Next  morning  we  were  all  a  dilapidated  looking 
company,  and  we  did  not  recover  from  the  effects 
of  "the  blow"  until  afternoon. 

From  that  time  we  had  fine  weather;  but  we 
were  constantly  haunted  by  fears  of  a  "  norther," 
for  at  that  season  a  voyage  across  the  Gulf  could 
scarcely  be  made  without  encountering  one. 

Thursday  the  wind  changed  and  blew  warm 
from  the  south.  The  sea  was  as  smooth  as  glass, 
and  it  was  so  very  warm  that  even  the  inhabitants 
of  Colon  were  languishing  from  the  heat.  This 


214  WARXIXGS   OF  THE  "NORTHER." 

had  a  meaning  for  the  captain,  and  he  said : 
"There's  a  ' norther'  blowing  somewhere;  this  is 
one  of  the  premonitions,  one  of  its  twenty-four- 
hour  warnings."  And  again  in  the  evening  he 
said,  "We  shall  get  the  'norther'  before  midnight, 
but  are  so  far  up  the  Gulf,  and  so  under  cover  of 
land,  that  its  fury  will  be  broken."  It  was  all  as  he 
had  said.  The  "norther"  came  at  eleven  o'clock, 
and  with  it  a  thunder  shower.  There  was  creaking, 
and  cracking,  and  raging  enough  ;  but  the  great 
steamer  hardly  rocked,  and  rode  steadily  in  spite 
of  the  elements.  There  was  little  sleep  for  any  of 
us,  and  none  at  all  for  the  faithful  captain. 

It  was  this  night  that  he  found  the  baby  taking 
her  solitary  promenade  in  the  saloon. 

One  very  important  and  most  useful  member  of 
the  steamer's  crew  must  not  be  overlooked.  That 
was  George,  the  second  steward,  a  fair-haired 
English  boy,  of  eighteen,  whose  office  it  was  to 
bring  the  meals  on  deck  to  those  unable  to  appear 
in  the  dining-room.  In  fact,  he  seemed  the  most 
useful  and  essential  part  of  the  whole  ship;  for,  if 
anything  whatsoever  was  wanted,  all  we  had  to  do 
was  simply  to  call,  "George,"  and  he  appeared  as 
if  by  magic  to 'do  our  bidding.  It  was  a  mystery 


TWO    WAIFS.  215 

where  his  retreat  was  ;  certainly  out  of  sight,  but 
not  out  of  hearing.  During  the  "  sea-sick  "  period 
he  was  in  constant  demand,  and  even  the  baby, 
not  a  whit  behind  her  elders,  learned  to  go  to  the 
head  of  the  stairs  whence  he  appeared,  and  call, 
"Georgie." 

Two  other  objects  of  great  interest  to  us  were 
the  "  stowaways,"  two  urchins  from  th'e  streets  of 
Liverpool,  who  had  tucked  themselves  away  so 
carefully  in  the  great  ship  before  she  sailed  as  to 
escape  the  vigilance  of  the  officers  when  the 
usual  search  was  made  after  their  kind.  They 
were  very  curious,  interesting  specimens,  with 
such  odd  faces !  One  had  a  big,  round,  fat  face, 
all  out  of  proportion  to  the  rest  of  his  body ;  the 
other  had  gray  hair  and  a  very  old  face,  as  the 
captain  said,  "  a  face  that  might  have  been  knock- 
ing about  forty  years  ago,  instead  of  belonging  to 
a  boy  of  eleven  or  twelve." 

When  found  these  boys  were  set  to  work  for 
their  passage,  and  the  little  fellows  did  well. 
They  used  to  bring  all  the  food  on  to  the  table 
from  the  kitchen,  and  in  order  to  get  into  the 
dining-room  had  to  come  up  the  stairs  on  deck, 
where  we  could  see  them  ;  and  it  was  one  of  the 


2 1 6  «  THE  FL  O IV ING  B  O  WL? 

greatest  diversions  of  the  voyage  to  watch  them 
as  they  came  up  through  the  hole  carrying  their 
great  platters  and  covered  dishes  with  ever  the 
same  unchanging,  expressionless  faces,  like  two 
little  machines.  We  could  not  help  wondering 
what  their  fate  would  be,  thus  early  cast  upon  the 
world  to  make  their  own  way,  without  help  or 
sympathy  from  any  one.  Only  this  was  certain : 
no  very  great  or  happy  lot  lay  before  them. 

One  of  the  chief  characteristics  of  the  voyage 
was  the  frequent  appearance  of  "the  flowing 
bowl."  On  recovering  from  sea-sickness  the 
men  resumed  their  usual  custom,  and  five  or  six 
times  a  day  passed  around  champagne,  sherry, 
or  a  "  cocktail "  of  some  description.  It  was 
brought  up  in  a  large  soup-tureen,  poured  into 
glasses  with  a  soup-ladle,  and  served  to  all  on 
deck. 

The  entirely  different  way  in  which  this  drink- 
ing was  regarded  by  two  of  the  lady  passengers 
furnished  an  admirable  illustration  of  the  in- 
fluence of  birth,  education,  and  surroundings, 
upon  a  person's  belief  and  conduct.  One  of 
the  ladies  was  a  New  England  girl,  brought  up 
under  the  shadow  of  the  Maine  law,  and  a 


TWO  SIDES   OF   THE   QUESTION. 

thorough  advocate  of  its  principles.  This  con- 
stant drinking  was  to  her  very  painful,  and  she 
firmly  refused  every  glass,  from  first  to  last. 

In  direct  contrast,  as  representing  the  other  ex- 
treme of  the  temperance  question,  was  the  young 
lady  from  South  America,  a  handsome  young  girl, 
who  drank  every  time  with  the  gentlemen,  and 
on  a  plea  of  sea-sickness  called  for  glasses  of 
brandy  and  water  besides. 

Without  arguing  from  effect  to  cause  we  can  cer- 
tainly conclude  the  inefficacy  of  liquors  in  cases  of 
sea-sickness,  for  the  advocate  of  temperance  was 
not  sick  at  all  worth  mentioning,  and  was,  until 
the  very  last  meals,  the  only  lady  at  the  table, 
while  the  patron  of  brandy  and  water  was  terribly 
sick  the  whole  passage,  and  even  when  the  water 
was  calm  and  smooth  could  by  no  means  be  per- 
suaded to  leave  her  reclining-chair,  in  which  she 
sat  day  and  night  during  the  whole  voyage. 

It  is  often  said,  and  generally  granted,  that  in 
travelling  in  countries  where  the  custom  in  regard 
to  this  matter  is  so  different  from  ours,  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  drink  wine.  This  is  not 
true.  It  is  sometimes  unpleasant  at  first  to  refuse, 
but  the  one  who  does  conscientiously  will  never 


218          SHERRY  IX   THE   PUDDIXC-SAUCE. 

regret  it,  and  will  lose  nothing  of  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow-men. 

Quite  an  amusing  incident  happened  at  dinner 
one  day.  We  had  English  plum  pudding,  and 
the  captain  ordered  some  sherry  put  into  the 
sauce ;  then  happening  to  look  at  the  New  Eng- 
land girl,  he  laughed,  and  said,  "  George,  capture 
some  of  that  sauce  before  the  sherry  is  in." 
George  said,  "  All  right,  sir,"  and  dashed  like 
lightning  for  the  door,  for  he  had  many  a  time 
passed  her  sherry  in  vain.  Returning  he  gave 
the  verdict,  "Too  late,  sir."  But  she  did  not  on 
this  account  refuse  her  favorite  dessert,  the  most 
delectable  of  all  puddings,  a  genuine  English  plum, 
made  by  an  English  cook. 

We  should  have  reached  New  Orleans  Thursday, 
but  the  currents  had  proved  unfavorable  and  the 
"  norther  "  had  delayed  us.  Friday  morning  we  had 
arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  and  there 
was  a  long  and  vigorous  whistling  for  a  pilot.  At 
eight  we  were  at  the  quarantine  station  and  had  a 
visit  from  the  doctor,  every  person,  crew  and  pas- 
sengers, passing  in  review  before  him.  All  day 
we  sailed  on  the  Mississippi,  but  it  was  not  at  all 
pretty,  as  there  was  very  little  verdure  save  the 


EAGERNESS  FOR  LAND.  2 19 

orange  groves.  At  six  o'clock  we  reached  New 
Orleans  and  the  voyage  was  over. 

We  had  been  on  the  water  five  days  and  a 
half ;  all  the  passengers  were  most  eager  for  the 
shore  and  hastened  off  as  soon  as  the  steamer 
landed ;  but  we  were  in  no  such  haste  to  desert 
our  refuge  from  Colon,  and  were  the  last  to  leave. 
The  conduct  of  our  fellow-passengers  was  most 
entertaining,  especially  the  way  in  which  they  ar- 
rayed themselves  in  their  most  gorgeous  apparel 
before  going  on  shore.  Some  of  the  transforma- 
tions were  wonderful,  for  these  people  from 
wretched  Colon  and  off  to  "Los  Estados  Unidos" 
for  a  good  time  were  in  just  the  right  condition  to 
delight  in  dressing  up  like  children.  We  stayed 
calmly  behind  and  watched  this  hurried  landing 
till  all  had  gone ;  first  the  passengers  rushed 
pell-mell,  then  the  officers  went,  then  the  crew, 
and  finally  even  the  two  little  kittens  strolled  out, 
and  after  them  the  two  little  stowaways. 

We  must  pronounce  this  voyage  of  all  the  four 
we  made  in  this  winter  trip  the  most  interesting. 
Others  were  taken  in  finer  steamers,  with  better 
accommodations;  but  none  were  more  really  en- 
joyable. Much  of  this,  if  not  all,  was  due  to  the 


220      A   KIND  AND    THOUGHTFUL   CAPTAIN, 

great  kindness  and  thoughtfulness  of  the  captain. 
Throughout  the  voyage  he  was  ever  mindful  of 
the  comfort  and  welfare  of  each  one,  and  together 
with  the  purser  was  constantly  trying  in  every 
way  possible  to  make  the  voyage  a  pleasant  one. 
The  passengers  were  all  duly  grateful,  and  to 
show  their  gratitude,  on  the  occasion  of  their  last 
dinner  together,  presented  him  with  a  written  tes- 
timonial setting  forth  this  appreciation  of  himself 
and  his  officers. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ACROSS  THE  GULF  TO  VERA  CRUZ. 

ARRIVING  in  New  Orleans  we  were  a  little  dis- 
appointed to  learn  that  a  steamer  sailed  for  Vera 
Cruz  in  three  days,  which  would  give  us  but  little 
time  for  the  Exposition  or  rest  from  our  sea 
voyage.  One  whole  half  day  had  to  be  given  to 
searching  for  a  lodging  place,  as  every  hotel  was 
full.  Finally  we  succeeded  in  getting  two  rooms, 
and  for  our  meals  went  to  the  French  restaurants, 
where  we  found  the  cooking  most  delicious,  and 
had  a  perfect  feast  of  good  things. 

All  the  time  we  had  we  spent  at  the  Exposition, 
which  we  found  inferior  to  the  Centennial.  The 
chief  features  were  the  Mexican  exhibit  and  the 
government  building,  both  of  which  were  very 
fine. 

The  thought  of  crossing  the  treacherous  Gulf 
for  the  third  time,  and  of  landing  in  pestilential 
Vera  Cruz,  was  not  very  pleasing,  and,  as  if  to 
keep  it  ever  before  our  minds,  we  were  con- 

221 


222  A    CALM  AND  PLACID    VOYAGE. 

tinually  being  presented  with  hand-bills  urging  us, 
in  the  largest  type  and  strongest  terms,  to  "see 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  without  fail  before  returning 
home."  If  those  who  heeded  this  solicitation  saw 
anything  worth  seeing  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  we 
are  glad,  for  it  is  about  the  last  place  in  the  world 
to  which  we  should  go  for  pleasure. 

There  are  several  lines  of  steamers  from  New 
Orleans  to  Vera  Cruz.  We  heard  greatest 
praise  of  the  Mexican  line  recently  established, 
and  should  have  been  glad  to  have  patronized  it 
could  we  have  made  connections  ;  but  it  was  then 
the  last  of  March,  and  every  day  was  bringing  us 
nearer  to  the  time  of  the  yellow-fever  epidemic, 
and  consequently  making  it  more  and  more  dan- 
gerous to  visit  Vera  Cruz. 

We  sailed  on  the  steamer  Whitney,  of  the  Mor- 
gan Line,  from  Morgan  City,  eighty  miles  from 
New  Orleans.  The  steamer  was  a  very  good  one, 
with  excellent  accommodations  for  passengers,  and 
first-class  fare.  As  it  happened,  the  Gulf  was  in  a 
very  happy  mood,  smiling  on  us  every  day  almost 
as  placid  as  a  lake ;  but  we  did  not  love  it,  for  all 
that,  nor  forget  our  first  experience  on  its  dreary 
waters. 


TIRED   OF   THE  SEA.  223 

The  passengers  were  nearly  all  Americans, 
going  to  Mexico  for  business  or  pleasure,  and,  on 
the  whole,  they  were  more  companionable  than 
those  of  our  previous  voyages.  Still,  in  spite  of 
the  fine  weather  and  people  who  spoke  English, 
we  did  not  really  enjoy  the  voyage,  for  we  were 
tired  of  the  water,  of  the  long,  monotonous  days 
at  sea,  of  being  so  long  out  of  sight  of  land,  and 
of  having  nothing  to  do  save  to  watch  a  few  flying- 
fish  or  an  occasional  flock  of  sea-cranes. 

As  usual,  our  greatest  amusement  and  diversion 
was  in  studying  our  fellow-passengers  ;  but  having 
in  the  preceding  chapter  disclosed  to  view  the  as- 
sociates of  one  voyage,  we  will  forbear  in  this,  and 
merely  mention  as  some  of  the  principal  a  charm- 
ing French  lady,  an  artist,  who  captivated  every- 
body ;  a  company  of  Catholic  "  Sisters,"  among 
whom  was  the  lady  superior,  teacher  of  President 
Diaz'  children ;  an  elderly  lady,  of  imposing 
mien,  chaperoning  her  daughter  and  two  young 
men  about  to  settle  as  physicians  in  Mexico ;  and 
a  gentleman  and  his  mother  from  Chicago,  who 
became  our  friends  and  constant  companions  all 
the  time  we  were  in  Mexico. 

Truly,    if    "the    proper    study   of    mankind    is 


224  IMPORTUNATE  BOATMEN. 

man,"  it  is  also  the  most  interesting,  and  we  found 
one  of  the  greatest  enjoyments  in  travelling  to 
be  this  opportunity  of  meeting  and  making  the 
acquaintance  of  so  many  different  people. 

Sailing  Tuesday  morning,  we  arrived  in  Vera 
Cruz  Saturday  morning,  making  but  one  port  on 
the  way,  that  of  Galveston,  where  we  stopped  long 
enough  to  go  on  shore  and  see  something  of  the 
city. 

The  entrance  into  Vera  Cruz  is  exceedingly 
dangerous,  and  shipwrecks  are  frequent.  It  is 
impossible  for  any  but  small  boats  to  land  in  a 
"  norther,"  and  if  one  happens  to  be  blowing  on 
nearing  Vera  Cruz,  the  steamer  is  obliged  to  put 
back  to  sea  and  wait  until  it  is  over,  which  is 
sometimes  as  long  as  three  days. 

As  at  all  the  ports  on  the  Central  American  and 
Mexican  coasts  the  steamer  anchors  out  from  land 
and  passengers  go  on  shore  in  small  boats,  so  that 
the  first  introduction  a  stranger  has  to  the  country 
is  to  a  motley  crowd  of  dark,  ragged  boatmen. 
These  men  throng  the  steamer  immediately  on  its 
arrival,  and  behave  in  all  respects  like  importu- 
nate hackmen,  augmenting  the  confusion  by  a 
constant  stream  of  Spanish,  until  one  has  a  perfect 


A    QUEER   OLD  PLACE.  22$ 

conception  of  the  tower  of  Babel,  and  does  not 
fully  recover  from  his  bewilderment,  nor  feel  quite 
sure  whether  he  has  engaged  passage  of  one,  a 
dozen,  or  in  fact  of  anybody  at  all,  until  he  and  his 
baggage  are  settled  in  the  boat  and  really  sailing 
for  shore. 

Having  several  times  previously  passed  through 
these  scenes,  we  were  a  little  better  off  than  many 
of  our  fellow-passengers,  to  whom  it  was  a  first 
experience. 

Vera  Cruz !  How  shall  we  describe  it  ?  A 
queer  old  place,  as  strange  as  any  in  the  world, 
and  yet  on  our  own  continent.  Founded  by  Cortez 
in  1519,  the  first  spot  in  Mexico  on  which  the 
Spanish  army  landed,  it  was  the  starting-point  of 
their  great  and  marvellous  march  and  conquest, 
and,  later  on,  the  port  through  which  went  untold 
wealth  to  enrich  the  kingdom  of  Spain. 

The  view  of  the  city  from  the  water  is  very 
pretty,  on  account  of  its  castles  and  shining  domes 
and  spires,  its  strange  architecture,  its  waving 
palms  and  fruit  trees. 

But  most  prominent  of  all  is  the  castle  of  San 
Juan  de  Ulua  on  an  island  half  a  mile  from  shore, 
where  the  Spaniards  found,  when  they  first  landed, 


226 


BYRON  RECALLED. 


idols  and  evidences  of  human  sacrifices.  The 
castle  was  begun  in  1662  but  not  finished  until 
1796.  It  was  a  very  strong  fortress  and  the  last 
point  relinquished  by  the  Spaniards,  being  held  by 
them  four  years  after  the  rest  of  the  country  was 
given  up. 

Now  it  is  used  as  a  prison  for  political  offenders, 
and  terrible  is  the  lot  of  all  incarcerated  there,  for 
the  cells  are  dark,  damp,  and  filthy,  and  some  are 
nearly  filled  with  water.  It  is  said  that  among 
other  poor  wretches  there  is  one  so  long  deprived 
of  air,  light,  and  freedom  that  he  has  lost  nearly 
all  intelligence,  and  has  even  forgotten  his  own 
name. 

What  stories  those  walls  might  reveal,  even  as 
terrible  as  the  prison  of  Chillon,  whose  description 
accords  very  well  with  this  castle  : — 

"  A  double  dungeon  wall  and  wave 
Have  made  —  and  like  a  living  grave." 

We  tried  very  hard  to  find  out  which  was  the 
best  of  the  three  hotels  in  Vera  Cruz,  but  invaria- 
bly received  the  answer,  "  Whichever  one  you  go 
to,  you  will  wish  you  had  gone  to  some  other,"  so 
we  finally  decided  on  the  "  Vera  Cruzano,"  because 
we  happened  to  meet  a  clerk  from  there  speaking 


A   SPANISH  CUISINE.  22/ 

English.  Our  rooms  were  comfortable  enough, 
though  with  stone  floors  and  single  iron  bedsteads, 
but  we  could  not  eat  the  food.  The  cooking  was 
Spanish,  and  everything  was  spoiled  with  oil,  red 
pepper,  or  some  vile  sauce,  so  that  with  a  bill  of 
fare  that  in  writing  would  almost  compare  with 
that  of  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel,  we  really  went  hungry, 
subsisting  almost  solely  upon  a  cup  of  coffee  or 
chocolate  and  upan  dulce,"  the  only  articles  of 
food  we  could  enjoy. 

The  balconies  and  corridors  were  made  pretty 
by  many  plants  and  beautiful  singing  birds,  among 
which  was  one  most  remarkable  parrot,  which 
chattered  all  day  in  Spanish,  and  sang  songs,  blew 
the  trumpet,  or  played  the  cornet  in  a  highly  en- 
tertaining manner. 

The  houses  of  Vera  Cruz  are  built  in  the 
Spanish  style  —  of  small  stones  covered  with  plas- 
ter and  tinted,  but  they  are  higher  than  those  of 
Guatemala.  The  city  is  well  supplied  with  horse- 
cars,  and  by  taking  one  marked  "  Circuito  "  we  saw 
the  whole  place  in  a  short  time.  A  strange  place 
it  is,  and  in  no  respect  a  pleasing  one,  the  Plaza 
being  its  only  attraction. 

The  city  has  a  very  old  and  oriental  aspect ;  and 


228  STREET  SCENES. 

one  might  easily  imagine  himself  in  ruined  Pom- 
peii from  glimpses  into  the  interior  of  some  of  the 
courtyards  of  the  old  houses.  The  street  scenes 
are  indeed  strange  and  curious  ;  the  Mexicans  in 
their  striking  costumes,  with  broad  sombreros ; 
the  Indians  with  their  burdens  ;  the  hundreds  of 
turkey-buzzards  constituting  the  board  of  health 
(for  the  drainage  is  surface) ;  the  packs  of  "burros," 
poor,  thin,  wretched  little  donkeys,  carrying  great 
loads  of  charcoal,  "zacate,"  or  barrels  of  water; 
and  another  curious  turnout,  also  common  in  the 
West  Indies,  that  of  three  mules  harnessed  side 
by  side,  with  the  driver  riding  on  the  back  of  one 
of  the  mules  instead  of  sitting  in  the  wagon. 

The  population  is  rather  mixed,  and  impressed 
us  most  unfavorably.  All  the  bad  that  has  been 
said  about  Mexicans  and  Spaniards  we  could 
easily  believe  when  we  walked  on  the  street  and 
looked  into  the  villarious  faces  of  those  we  met  — 
faces  enough  to  make  one  shudder,  whereon  the 
word  desperado  was  plainly  written. 

One  day  we  witnessed  a  strange  sight.  A 
large,  powerful  man  of  this  class,  bound  with  stout 
ropes  and  surrounded  by  a  guard  of  heavy-armed 
soldiers,  was  being  led  through  the  streets.  On 


BANDITS.  229 

inquiry,  a  friend  said  this  man  so  carefully  guarded 
was  one  of  the  bandits,  and  that  two  or  three  a 
day  were  brought  in  from  the  country,  where  they 
had  been  captured  by  picked  men,  appointed  by 
the  government  to  search  them  out.  These 
bandits  have  no  trial,  but  are  despatched  by  the 
favorite  Mexican  method  —  shot  dead  without 
judge  or  jury. 

Coming,  as  we  did,  from  Central  America,  we 
were  most  forcibly  impressed  with  the  difference 
between  the  natives  of  Guatemala  and  those  of 
Vera  Cruz,  and  our  thoughts  turned  back  with 
affection  to  the  common  but  kind-hearted  and 
amiable  people  of  the  former  place. 

The  unhealthiness  of  Vera  Cruz  is  well  known. 
There  is  probably  no  time  during  the  year  in 
which  it  is  free  from  cases  of  yellow  fever.  The 
middle  of  April  a  quarantine  is  put  on,  and  from 
May  to  November  the  disease  rages  fearfully, 
there  being  fifteen,  twenty,  and  even  thirty  and 
forty  deaths  a  day.  The  months  of  December, 
January,  and  February  are  safest,  because  coldest ; 
since  the  disease  does  not  exist  in  a  temperature 
of  seventy-five  degrees  or  less.  We  were  in  the 
city  the  last  of  March,  and  there  were  cases  of  the 


230  «  THE   CITY  OF  THE  DEAD." 

fever,  but  we  had  no  fear,  for  we  saw  no  appear- 
ance of  any  danger,  and  could  scarcely  believe  the 
stories  we  heard  of  the  unhealthiness  of  the  place ; 
besides,  had  we  not  been  in  Panama  and  Colon, 
places  we  believe  to  be  far  worse  than  Vera  Cruz, 
although  it  has  earned  the  name  of  "  la  ciudad  de 
los  muertos  "  (the  city  of  the  dead)  ?  It  seemed 
strange  that  there  should  be  ten  thousand  inhabi- 
tants in  such  a  pestilential  city,  but  it  is  a  rich 
port,  and  besides  it  is  possible  to  have  yellow 
fever  and  live ;  and  those  who  have  it  once  do  not 
have  it  again.  A  German  representing  one  of  the 
most  prominent  houses  there,  a  resident  for  fifty 
years,  who,  with  his  family,  had  had  the  disease, 
jokingly  pronounced  it  a  comfortable  one.  "  You 
have  no  pain,"  he  said,  "and  in  ten  days  are  well 
or  dead." 

Most  of  the  deaths  are  among  the  Indians  who 
come  in  from  the  country,  for,  thinly  clad  and  sleep- 
ing out  of  doors,  they  are  drenched  by  the  rains  and 
soon  die  of  the  fever.  The  epidemic  rages  most 
during  the  rainy  season,  and  the  greatest  care 
must  be  taken  not  to  get  wet,  for  then  a  chill 
follows,  and  just  as  certainly  the  dread  fever. 

The  way  to  treat  the  disease  is  to  go  immediately 


AN  UNWILLIA'G  SOJOURN.  231 

to  bed,  wrap  up  warmly,  and  keep  in  a  perspiration 
for  ten  days,  taking  no  solid  food  whatever  ( for 
that  -is  sure  death),  and  only  hot  herb-drinks  to 
keep  up  the  perspiration.  An  American,  who  sur- 
vived the  fever  by  carrying  out  this  treatment, 
said  that  at  the  end  of  this  time  he  looked  as  if  he 
had  been  parboiled,  but  it  was  the  only  way  to  es- 
cape death. 

No  one  cares  to  stop  in  Vera  Cruz,  yet  all  arriv- 
ing by  steamer  are  obliged  to  stay  one  night,  for 
the  train  for  Mexico  leaves  only  in  the  morning. 
Our  fellow-passengers  all  left  the  day  after  arriv- 
ing, but  we  stayed  longer,  because  Vera  Cruz  was 
a  very  important  port  for  the  shipment  of  coffee. 

The  first  day  the  heat  was  excessive,  the  great- 
est we  experienced  in  all  our  journey,  and  we  felt 
quite  prostrated ;  but  the  next  day  a  north  wind 
sprung  up  and  it  was  quite  comfortable. 

On  the  third  day  of  our  sojourn  in  Vera  Cruz, 
hastily  drawing  business  to  a  close,  we  decided  to 
start  next  morning  for  Mexico,  and  packed  our 
trunks  with  joy  at  the  thought,  for  on  leaving 
Vera  Cruz  we  left  behind  all  business,  all  hard- 
ships, and  all  danger  from  pestilence,  and  started 
on  a  real  pleasure  trip  to  the  City  of  Mexico. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

A    DAY'S   JOURNEY    FROM    COAST    TO    CAPITAL. 

THE  distance  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  City  of 
Mexico  is  one  hundred  and  ninety  miles.  It  is 
traversed  by  a  railroad,  which  is  one  of  the  finest 
pieces  of  engineering  in  the  world,  and  reveals  to 
the  traveller  most  magnificent  scenery,  crossing, 
as  it  does,  the  high  range  of  the  Eastern  Cordille- 
ras, tunnelling  through  mountains,  bridging  over 
great  chasms,  and  running  along  the  brink  of 
precipices  thousands  of  feet  deep.  There  were 
almost  insuperable  obstacles  to  be  overcome  in  the 
construction  of  this  road  over  a  high  range  of 
mountains.  It  was  sixteen  years  in  building,  not 
being  opened  throughout  its  entire  length  until 
1873,  and  the  cost  was  thirty-nine  million  dollars. 
Almost  all  the  stock  is  owned  in  England,  hence 
it  is  called  the  "English  road." 

The  scenery  is  especially  remarkable  from  the 
fact  that    one  passes    in    a   few   hours   from    the 
232 


THE    VEGETATION  OF  ALL   ZONES          233 

level  of  the  sea  to  an  elevation  of  over  eight 
thousand  feet,  and  sees  the  vegetation  of  all  zones, 
from  the  palms  and  hot-house  flowers  of  the 
coast,  through  groves  and  plantations  of  oranges, 
bananas,  coffee,  and  tobacco,  to  the  corn  and  wheat 
fields  of  our  own  clime,  thence  to  the  pines,  oaks, 
and  evergreens  of  colder  latitudes,  even  to  within 
sight  of  snow-peaked-Orizaba.  "In  no  country  in 
the  world  can  you  pass  so  rapidly  from  zone  to 
zone,  —  from  the  blazing  shores  of  the  heated 
tropics  to  the  region  of  perpetual  winter,  from  the 
land  of  the  palm  and  vine  to  that  of  the  pine  and 
lichen ;  for  in  twenty-four  hours  this  can  be  ac- 
complished, and  the  traveller  may  ascend  a  snow 
peak  with  the  sands  of  the  shore  still  upon  his 
shoes." 

On  the  morning  of  our  departure  for  the  City  of 
Mexico  we  rose  early,  and  before  light  passed  out 
of  the  "Vera  Cruzano  "  as  the  servants,  sleeping 
on  cots  by  the  doorway,  were  just  arousing  them- 
selves for  their  day's  work.  One  of  them  followed 
us  and  solicited  patronage,  saying  it  was  hardly  safe 
for  us  to  go  unattended  at  that  early  hour.  The 
streets  were  silent  and  deserted,  and  we  decided 
to  be  relieved  of  our  bundles  and  accept  him 


234       A   TRIBUTE  TO  MEXICAN  SERVANTS. 

as  an  escort.  He  conducted  us  to  a  restaurant, 
where  he  waited  upon  us  himself,  bringing  us  our 
morning  cup  of  coffee  and  "  pan  dulce,"  then  ac- 
companied us  to  the  station,  found  us  seats  on  the 
left-hand  side  of  the  car,  where  we  could  get  the 
finest  views,  and  then  took  leave  of  us  very  po- 
litely, as  if  we  were  old  friends.  For  all  this  very 
acceptable  service  he  charged  but  five  cents ! 

We  mention  this  because  among  all  the  discom- 
forts of  travelling  in  these  countries  there  are 
some  conveniences  which  we  do  not  have  at  home, 
and  one  of  these  is  the  abundance  of  servants  to 
be  met  with  everywhere,  who  will  carry  your  bun- 
dles any  distance  and  render  most  willing  and 
efficient  attendance  for  this  paltry  sum  of  five 
cents.  It  is  their  sole  business,  and  they  are  quite 
happy  if  they  get  one  job  a  day. 

The  cars  are  marked  first,  second,  and  third 
class  — the  latter  being  occupied  by  Indians.  We 
were  early,  and  found  we  had  some  time  to  wait, 
but  the  car  soon  filled  with  people,  nearly  all 
Americans,  who  arrived  the  night  before  by 
steamer  from  New  York.  Some  Mexicans  who 
were  parting  with  each  other  gave  us  opportunity 
to  observe  the  Spanish  custom  of  leave-taking, 


WILD  BEAUTIES.  235 

which  seemed  to  us  most  peculiar.  The  men 
clasped  each  other  in  an  affectionate  embrace  and 
pressed  either  cheek ;  the  ladies  adopted  the  same 
method,  with  the  addition  of  a  kiss. 

The  train  starts  at  six  o'clock,  and  for  a  while 
runs  along  the  hot,  dusty  plains  of  Vera  Cruz,  but 
soon  begins  to  ascend,  and  vegetation  becomes 
more  luxuriant,  with  orchids,  roses,  bananas,  pine- 
apples ;  olive,  lime,  and  orange  trees  ;  curious  air- 
plants,  and  a  tangle  of  flowering  vines.  As  the 
way  grows  steeper,  to  overcome  the  obstacles  pre- 
sented by  the  hills  the  road  has  to  wind  in  and  out 
and  over  great  "barrancas"  (ravines),  at  whose 
base  rush  mountain  streams.  It  crosses  several 
bridges,  one  quite  famous,  that  of  Atoyac,  three 
hundred  and  thirty  feet  long,  where  the  traveller 
gets  a  view  of  one  of  the  most  exquisite  cascades, 
tumbling  over  the  rocks  of  a  wild  ravine,  clad  in 
richest  verdure.  Occasionally  one  sees  huts  of 
the  natives  —  rude  structures  made  of  poles,  with 
thatched  roofs,  as  in  Guatemala ;  and  the  train 
stops  at  one  or  two  small  stations,  crowded  with 
Indians,  who  have  fruits  to  sell. 

Our  fellow-passengers,  almost  from  the  start, 
had  all  been  looking  through  glasses  for  a  glimpse 


236  SNOW-CROWNED   ORIZABA. 

of  Orizaba,  a  volcano  seventeen  thousand  three 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  feet  high,  with  its  foot 
in  the  land  of  perpetual  summer  and  its  head 
in  a  region  of  lasting  cold. 

We  looked  in  vain  at  first,  but  after  a  while, 
chancing  to  glance  to  the  right,  suddenly  we  be- 
held this  most  magnificent  spectacle,  Orizaba,  with 
its  crown  of  dazzling  snow  glistening  in  the  sun- 
shine. The  sight  was  finer  than  we  could  ever 
have  imagined.  It  was  at  once  very  grand  and 
very  beautiful,  and  an  exclamation  of  wonder  and 
delight  involuntarily  escaped  us  at  this  first  and 
unexpected  view  of  a  snow-capped  mountain. 

The  first  station  of  importance  is  Cordova, 
which  is  situated  in  a  rich  valley  at  a  height  of 
two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  three  feet.  It 
contains  fine  orange  groves  and  large  sugar  plan- 
tations, and  is  the  centre  of  a  coffee-growing 
district. 

Soon  after  leaving  this  station  the  road  for  a 
time  runs  along  the  brink  of  the  wonderful  "  bar- 
ranca" Metlac,  which  is  one  thousand  feet  deep, 
and  then  it  crosses  the  chasm  by  a  bridge  com- 
manding a  fine  view.  The  road,  always  ascending, 
winds  in  and  out,  dashing  through  dark  tunnels, 


A    VISION  OF  EDEN. 

crossing  bridges  over  deep  ravines,  or  curving 
around  a  bend  of  the  mountains.  These  curves 
are  often  so  sharp  that  from  one's  seat  in  the  car 
the  whole  train  is  visible  from  one  end  to  the 
other,  and  the  winding  road  itself  can  be  seen 
traversing  the  mountains  by  a  sinuous  path,  like 
the  trail  of  a  serpent. 

The  fact  of  the  ascent  is  plainly  shown  by  the 
change  in  the  character  of  the  vegetation  ;  for  our 
familiar  cornfields  begin  to  appear  mingling  with 
plantations  of  tobacco,  coffee,  rice,  and  sugar- 
cane. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  fertile  valleys  of  Mex- 
ico, and  to  our  fellow-passengers  just  from  the 
United  States — which  they  had  left  in  cold, 
bleak,  and  dreary  March  —  the  sight  of  it  was 
like  a  first  vision  of  the  Garden  of  Eden ;  to  us 
it  was  like  a  second  and  better  view,  for  in  our 
journey  across  Guatemala  we  had  scenery  like 
this,  only  we  now  saw  it  under  more  auspicious 
circumstances,  a  railway  car  being  a  far  better 
observatory  than  a  mule's  back. 

At  half-past  ten  we  reached  the  city  of  Ori- 
zaba, at  an  elevation  of  4088  feet,  having  in  the 
last  sixteen  miles  climbed  1375  feet!  Here  we 


23^  MARVELLOUS  ENGINEERING. 

stopped  long  enough  for  breakfast,  and  were  glad 
to  find  it  quite  eatable,  the  cooking  being  more 
American  than  that  of  Vera  Cruz.  The  city 
is  ancient,  and  very  pretty,  with  a  picturesque 
situation  and  quite  healthful  climate.  It  is  a 
health  resort  for  Vera  Cruz  during  its  scourges 
of  yellow  fever. 

Leaving  Orizaba,  the  road  still  ascends,  and  in 
the  next  three  hours  climbs  three  thousand  feet ! 
The  country  now  grows  less  fertile,  but  the 
scenery  more  sublime.  Having  passed  the  noted 
gorge  known  as  Infiernillo,  or  Little  Hell,  a  giddy 
and  terrible  precipice,  we  were  all  shut  in  by 
mountains,  and  could  see  the  winding  track  be- 
low and  above  us.  Looking  up  we  saw  a  faint 
line  far,  far  above,  on  the  very  top  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  said  to  each  other,  "  Can  it  be  possible 
that  we  are  to  ascend  to  that  height  ? "  It  was 
indeed  possible,  but  not  to  an  ordinary  locomo- 
tive. The  one  employed  is  the  powerful  Fairlie 
"  double-en der,"  which  looks  like  two  engines 
combined.  This  giant  literally  began  to  climb 
the  mountain,  like  a  fly  crawling  up  a  wall. 
Slowly  it  crept  up  the  steep  ascent,  occasion- 
ally stopping  as  if  exhausted,  and  being  recu- 


A    FAIRY   TOWN.  239 

perated  with  a  supply  of  wood  and  water.  Thus 
with  almost  breathless  anxiety  we  ascended  to  the 
region  of  the  pine  and  oak,  and  to  a  height 
greater  than  that  of  Mt.  Washington.  Suddenly 
a  most  glorious  panorama  was  spread  out  before 
us  —  a  fertile  valley,  thousands  of  feet  below,  all 
shut  in  by  mountains,  and  called  most  appropri- 
ately "  La  Joya,"  the  Jewel..  In  the  centre  of 
it  is  the  village  of  Maltrata,  laid  out  in  perfect 
squares  of  living  green,  with  streets  as  straight 
as  an  arrow,  and  with  picturesque  houses  and 
flowering  gardens,  the  whole  effect  being  so  beau- 
tiful that  it  did  not  seem  like  a  real  town,  de- 
signed as  a  habitation  for  mortals,  but  like  the 
work  of  some  fairy  for  enchantment.  The  scen- 
ery at  this  point  was  the  finest  in  all  the  jour- 
ney, glorious  beyond  description.  As  the  train 
wound  in  and  out,  we  had  one  moment  a  full 
view  of  this  beautiful  valley,  then  turning  a  bend 
of  the  mountain  lost  it  altogether ;  but  again 
and  again,  when  we  thought  we  had  seen  it  for 
the  last  time,  it  burst  upon  our  view  in  all  its 
beauty.  The  passengers  were  all  excitement  — 
one  moment  on  their  feet,  uttering  exclamations 
of  surprise  and  wonder ;  the  next,  spell-bound, 


240  "LA   BOCA   DEL   MOXTE." 

and  almost  breathless,  at  the  magnificence  and 
awfulness  of  the  scene.  The  track,  like  the 
mule-path  of  Guatemala,  is  for  ten  miles  built 
along  the  mountain  side,  on  a  bed  of  terraced 
rock,  with  a  grade  rising  more  than  four  feet  in 
every  hundred.  Once  the  track  crosses  a  bridge 
over  a  chasm  ninety  feet  long,  where,  if  any- 
thing should  happen,  the  train  would  be  precipi- 
tated two  or  three  thousand  feet. 

We  were  all  aware  of  the  dangerous  height 
we  were  scaling,  for  Maltrata  looked  scarcely 
larger  than  a  toy  village ;  and  a  mule  train  visi- 
ble half-way  up  the  mountain  looked  no  larger 
than  so  many  mice.  The  grandeur  of  the  scene 
was  too  great  to  be  long  enjoyable,  and  we  drew 
a  sigh  of  relief  as  we  reached  u  La  Boca  del 
Monte  "  (the  mouth  of  the  mountain),  7,900  feet 
above  the  sea  —  the  end  of  the  steep  ascent,  and 
the  beginning  of  the  great  Mexican  plateau.  "  In 
the  last  thirteen  miles  we  had  climbed  over  three 
thousand  perpendicular  feet !  " 

A  few  miles  more  of  gradual  ascent,  and  at 
half-past  one  we  reached  Esperanza,  the  highest 
point,  8,303  feet.  Here  a  long  stop  is  made, 
and  an  excellent  meal  served,  but  having  break- 


A   MEXICAN  CABALLERO.  24! 

fasted  at  Orizaba,  we  spent  our  time  in  viewing 
the  station,  and  the  crowd  there  gathered.  As 
usual,  there  were  many  Indians  offering  for  sale 
various  kinds  of  fruits  (many  of  which  are  un- 
known to  Americans),  and  all  sorts  of  sweets 
and  native  eatables  with  which  to  tempt  the 
Mexican  taste,  and  the  curiosity  of  strangers. 
But  the  most  noticeable  of  all  the  crowd  was  a 
handsome  looking  young  Mexican,  in  a  riding 
suit,  presenting  an  appearance  elegant  enough 
to  make  our  greatest  "  swells  "  green  with  envy. 
With  a  rich  dark  complexion,  a  fine  form,  and 
manly  bearing,  his  natural  beauty  was  further 
enhanced  by  his  dress,  which  was  most  elegant 
and  showy,  and  consisted  of  a  sombrero  of  drab 
felt,  with  an  enormously  wide  brim  and  a  rich 
trimming  of  silver ;  a  jacket  and  vest  of  spotless 
white,  elaborately  embroidered  ;  and  trousers  of 
fine  black  cloth,  with  rows  of  silver  buttons  on 
the  seam  from  top  to  bottom.  An  enormous 
pistol,  and  a  display  of  jewelry,  completed  his  ele- 
gant toilet,  and  enhanced  the  fine  appearance  of 
which  he  was  fully  conscious,  as  well  as  of  the 
admiration  which  he  excited.  Then  there  were 
three  armed  soldiers,  to  protect  the  train  from 


242  IN  THE  LAND   OF  CUT-THROATS. 

robbery,  for  we  were  travelling  in  a  land  of  thieves 
and  cut-throats,  and  every  station  on  the  road  is 
guarded  by  picked  men,  appointed  by  the  govern- 
ment. The  business  of  these  men  is  to  scour  the 
country,  search  out  bandits,  and  bring  them  to 
justice,  or,  rather,  to  death,  for  they  are  shot  as 
soon  as  apprehended.  This  method  has  proved 
quite  effectual,  and  so  many'have  been  disposed  of 
in  this  summary  manner  that  for  a  year  there  has 
been  no  train-wrecking  on  this  road.  Before  this 
vigorous  policy  was  adopted,  attacks  were  fre- 
quent, and  the  train  rarely  went  to  Mexico  with 
a  whole  pane  of  glass  in  its  windows,  because  of 
great  stones  thrown  into  the  cars,  and  a  passen- 
ger seldom  arrived  with  all  his  possessions.  On 
the  train  there  is  a  guard  of  thirty  soldiers,  to 
protect  it  from  any  attack.  Every  Mexican  car- 
ries arms,  and  considers  a  pistol  as  much  a  part 
of  his  dress  as  our  men  do  a  necktie.  All  this 
array  of  military  power  to  ensure  our  safety  in 
travelling,  even  by  rail,  did  not  impress  us  very 
favorably  with  Mexico.  In  strong  contrast  to 
this,  and  with  grateful  remembrance,  we  think  of 
our  journey  across  Guatemala,  when,  with  only  a 
guide  and  one  Indian,  wholly  unarmed  and  unpro- 


ON  THE    TABLE-LANDS.  243 

tected,  we  travelled  through  the  lonely  interior  of 
that  country  in  perfect  safety. 

Our  journey  from  this  point  was  across  the 
dusty  table-lands.  Here  we  met  the  train  from 
Mexico,  and  parted  with  our  giant  "  Janus,"  which 
must  go  down  the  steep  descent  back  to  Vera 
Cruz  with  this  Mexican  train,  while  we  took  its 
engine  —  an  ordinary  American  one  —  in  exchange. 
We  had  passed  all  the  fine  scenery,  and  there  was 
nothing  of  interest  save  Orizaba,  which  was  still 
visible  for  a  time.  The  table-lands  are  quite  bar- 
ren, save  for  fields  of  wheat  and  rye  the  first 
few  miles,  and  after  that  extensive  fields  of 
maguey,  or  the  American  aloe,  from  which 
"pulque,"  the  national  drink,  is  made.  As  it 
was  the  last  of  the  dry  season,  the  dust  was 
something  fearful,  and  entered  the  car  in  clouds, 
so  that,  after  leaving  Esperanza,  there  was  no 
enjoyment  or  comfort.  "Esperanza"  is  the  Span- 
ish for  hope,  and  we  wondered  some  time  why 
the  place  was  so  called,  but  finally  concluded  that 
it  must  be  because  after  leaving  it  the  traveller's 
only  hope  is  that  he  will  not  be  suffocated  with 
dust  and  tobacco-smoke  before  he  reaches  Mexico. 
The  Americans  in  the  car  complained  of  the  Span- 


244         ENVELOPED  IX  DUST  AXD  SMOKE. 

ish  custom,  and  out  of  pity  for  the  ladies  for  a  while 
desisted  from  smoking :  but  the  love  of  the  weed 
soon  overcame  them,  and  the  smoke  of  their  pipes 
and  cigars,  much  stronger  than  the  cigarettes  almost 
universally  smoked  by  the  Mexicans,  was  added  to 
the  dust,  until  from  the  combination  of  both  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  breathe,  and  the  ladies  had 
to  saturate  their  handkerchiefs  with  cologne  and 
hold  them  to  their  faces  to  keep  from  choking. 
\Ve  could  not  but  regret  that  the  latter  part 
of  the  journey  must  be  disagreeable  ;  but,  like 
Guatemala,  Mexico  seemed  eager  to  remind  us 
that  nowhere  on  earth  cculd  we  find  perfection, 
nor  in  this  world  be  always  in  regions  of  beauty ; 
that  we  were  but  mortals,  and,  having  been 
granted  a  glance  at  fairyland,  we  must  then  come 
back  to  the  stern  realities  of  human  existence  and 
to  the  trials  and  woes  of  mankind. 

We  found  our  only  entertainment  after  this  at 
the  stations,  in  watching  the  strange  crowd  and  in 
patronizing  the  venders  until  we  had  tasted  of  all 
the  native  productions,  one  of  the  principal  dishes 
being  "tamales,"  a  sort  of  turnover  filled  with  a 
mixture  of  meat,  potato,  chili,  and  dried  fruits, 
and  which  we  found  quite  palatable,  in  spite  of 


EXTENSIVE  STOCK-RAISING.  24$ 

its  peculiar  constitution.  There,  too,  was  the 
"  pulque*"  looking  like  milk  and  tasting  like  yeast, 
made  from  the  aloe  or  century  plant,  which  grows 
here  in  great  abundance  for  miles  and  miles,  and 
of  which  we  shall  speak  again  later  on.  The  table- 
lands seemed  to  be  a  fine  country  for  stock-raising, 
and  there  are  numerous  haciendas  (ranches)  and 
great  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep,  although  what 
they  live  on  in  the  dry  season  we  could  hardly  tell, 
—  in  fact  we  could  see  little  but  dust.  Every 
ranch  has  to  be  surrounded  by  a  great  wall,  for 
this  is  one  of  the  lawless  parts  of  Mexico,  the 
haunt  of  banditti. 

At  every  station  beggars  are  numerous  and 
very  importunate,  hideous,  ragged,  and  dirty,  the 
most  repulsive  looking  creatures  on  the  face  of 
the  earth.  The  towns  were  all  very  strange  in 
appearance,  built  of  adobe,  just  the  color  of  the 
dust  in  which  they  stand,  and  always  containing 
many  churches  (for  the  old  conquerors  were  zeal- 
ous missionaries),  and  always  surrounded  by  a 
strong  wall  for  protection  against  robbers.  The 
names  of  the  places  are  quite  unpronounceable  and 
we  troubled  ourselves  with  only  one,  that  of  one 
which  impressed  us  as  being  the  strangest  of  all 


246  A   FAMOUS  ROBBER    TOWN. 

strange  places  we  had  ever  seen  ;  very,  very  old, 
with  ruined  walls  and  churches,  with  dust-colored 
houses,  standing  in  the  dust  of  to-day,  with  the 
appearance  of  being  buried  in  the  "dust  of  ages." 
A  Spanish  gentleman  (a  real  Spaniard  from 
Spain),  who  sat  opposite  and  occasionally  con- 
versed with  us,  gave  us  the  name  of  the  town  — 
Huamantla,  a  famous  robber  town,  from  time  im- 
memorial the  haunt  of  robbers  and  desperadoes. 
This  station  is  guarded  with  unusual  care,  there 
being,  besides  the  regular  guard,  three  mounted 
horsemen,  powerful  looking  men,  armed  with 
swords  and  lassos. 

Through  rows  of  maguey  and  through  queer  old 
adobe  towns,  after  the  sun  had  set  and  darkness 
had  closed  about  us,  enveloped  in  dust  and  smoke, 
and  listening  to  tales  of  blood  and  adventure  in 
Mexico  told  by  an  American  behind  us,  still  we 
sped  on  for  hours  over  the  Mexican  plateau  to  its 
capital.  We  arrived  about  nine  o'clock,  and  once 
more  we  felt  stranded  on  a  foreign  shore,  as  we 
felt  on  arriving  at  La  Tinta,  where  we  spent  our 
first  night  in  the  interior  of  Guatemala.  We 
hardly  knew  what  to  do  or  where  to  go,  until  we 
heard  the  welcome  voice  of  our  Chicago  friend 


A   HELPING  HAND. 

and  gratefully  followed  his  lead  through  the 
rabble  of  Spanish  hackmen  to  the  carriage  he 
had  already  engaged,  and  thence  to  the  hotel, 
where  through  his  kindness  we  found  rooms  await- 
ing us. 

Never  once  in  all  our  journeying  did  we  lack  a 
helping  hand.  In  every  time  of  need  some  kind 
friend  always  appeared  to  help  smooth  away  our 
difficulties,  and  we  shall  through  life  retain  grate- 
ful remembrances  of  many  a  one  who  acted  the 
part  of  the  Good  Samaritan. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

CITY    OF    MEXICO. 

No  country  by  its  nature  and  history  presents 
greater  attractions  to  the  tourist,  antiquarian, 
scientist,  student,  adventurer,  and  speculator, 
than  Mexico.  It  possesses  scenery  unsurpassed 
by  any  in  the  world ;  the  products  of  all  kingdoms 
and  climes  in  the  greatest  abundance ;  a  history 
most  romantic,  rich  in  legend  and  tradition,  in 
brilliance  of  exploit,  in  heroic  as  well  as  bloody 
deeds ;  a  heterogeneous  people,  of  peculiar  charac- 
teristics and  remarkable  history,  from  the  Aztec, 
of  unknown  origin  and  pathetic  story,  to  the  Span- 
iard, of  marvellous  conquest  and  bloody  deeds. 
Nowhere  can  there  be  found  grander  mountains, 
fairer  valleys,  lovelier  flowers,  a  finer  climate,  more 
remarkable  ruins,  or  a  stranger  and  more  interest- 
ing people. 

"  Thou  Italy  of  the  Occident, 
Land  of  flowers  and  summer  climes, 
Of  holy  priests  and  horrid  crimes ; 
Land  of  the  cactus  and  sweet  cocoa ; 
248 


THE  PRAISES   OF  MEXICO.  249 

Richer  than  all  the  Orient 

In  gold  and  glory,  in  want  and  woe, 

In  self-denial,  in  days  misspent, 

In  truth  and  treason,  in  good  and  guilt, 

In  ivied  ruins  and  altars  low, 

In  battered  walls  and  blood  misspilt, 

Glorious,  gory  Mexico !  " 

No  city  in  the  world,  it  seems  to  us,  can  be,  from 
every  point  of  view,  more  interesting  to  visit  than 
the  City  of  Mexico.  But  let  us  take  the  authority 
of  others  on  this  subject.  Humboldt,  the  great 
naturalist,  who  has  made  most  extensive  investiga- 
tions there,  is  most  extravagant  in  his  praises. 
Bayard  Taylor,  the  distinguished  traveller,  pro- 
nounces the  City  of  Mexico,  with  its  surrounding 
valley,  "  one  of  the  loveliest  scenes  of  the  civilized 
world."  One  of  England's  ministers  writes  : 
"Amongst  the  various  capitals  of  Europe,  there 
are  few  that  can  support  with  any  advantage  a 
comparison  with  Mexico."  Steele  says  it  is  "a 
capital  that  may  be  as  old  as  Thebes,  is  as  quaint 
as  Tangiers,  as  foreign  as  old  Spain,  and  as  new 
as  the  newest  American  territory  to  all  modern 
things  " ;  and  Sala,  the  noted  London  Journalist : 
"  Of  all  the  strange  countries,  to  me  Mexico  is  the 
strangest.  It  is  the  only  country  about  which  I 
dream  ;  its  quaint  and  picturesque  scenery,  and 


250        AX  IXriTIXG  FIELD  FOR  TOURISTS. 

tropical  products,  lingering  ever  in  my  imagina- 
tion." 

It  is  only  recently  that  travel  in  Mexico  has 
been  at  all  easy ;  but  now  that  it  is  fairly  opened 
by  railroads,  particularly  since  the  building  of  the 
Mexican  Central,  its  claim  as  one  of  the  most 
interesting  places  in  the  world  to  visit  will  soon 
assert  itself,  and  a  tide  of  travel  will  pour  in  upon 
the  country.  Then,  doubtless,  more  of  the  con- 
veniences of  civilized  life  will  be  furnished  the 
tourist ;  although,  if  the  country  loses  some  of  its 
national  characteristics  thereby,  as  is  likely,  the 
change  will  be,  in  a  sense,  one  to  be  lamented,  for 
the  really  appreciative  traveller  will  prefer  the  gran- 
deur of  nature  to  the  comforts  of  modern  life,  and 
the  primitive  characteristics  of  Mexico  to  the  ele- 
gance of  civilized  society.  The  fastidious  tourist 
will  find  much  of  which  to  complain  in  Mexico,  and 
such  a  one  may  go  there  and  perceive  little  but 
"dirt,  rags,  and  a  strong  odor  of  garlic."  These 
are  certainly  noticeable,  but  they  must  be  ignored 
if  one  would  enjoy  Mexico. 

At  present  there  are  no  really  good  hotels. 
The  principal  one  is  the  Iturbide,  once  the  impe- 
rial residence  of  the  first  emperor  of  Mexico  after 


MEXICAN  HOTELS.  2$  I 

its  independence.  It  is  a  palatial  building  of  four 
stories,  with  five  large  "patios,"  and  is  the  fashion- 
able hotel  of  the  city.  Adjoining  it,  and  really  a 
part  of  it,  is  the  San  Carlos,  of  equal  respectability. 
What  the  traveller  especially  notices  in  regard  to 
these,  as  all  Mexican  hotels,  is  the  absence  of  soap 
and  matches  (articles  never  furnished),  a  scarcity 
of  towels,  candles  for  lighting,  single  beds,  hard 
pillows,  and  an  abundance  of  fleas.  The  plan 
adopted  by  many  Americans  —  and  one  which  we 
pursued  —  is  to  take  rooms  at  one  of  these  hotels 
and  then  go  to  a  restaurant  for  meals.  The  res- 
taurant most  highly  recommended  to  us  was  the 
Cafe  Anglais,  but  this  from  an  American  stand- 
point is  inferior.  Besides  the  morning  cup  of 
coffee  there  were  two  meals,  breakfast,  which  was 
not  served  until  twelve  o'clock,  and  dinner  at  six. 
The  bill  of  fare  for  both  meals  was  almost  identi- 
cal, and  soon  became  monotonous. 

The  City  of  Mexico  is  situated  in  a  beautiful 
valley,  which  has  an  elevation  of  seven  thousand 
five  hundred  feet  and  is  completely  surrounded  by 
mountains.  It  is  built  upon  the  same  spot  as  the 
old  capital  of  the  Aztecs.  But  a  great  physical 
change  has  taken  place  since  their  time,  for  their 


252  A    GREAT  PHYSICAL    CHANGE. 

capital  was  built  on  an  island  in  Lake  Tezcuco, 
whose  waters  flowed  in  canals  through  every  part 
of  the  city ;  while  the  modern  Mexico  is  built  on 
solid  ground.  The  cause  of  this  change  was  the 
diminution  of  the  lake,  which  is  now  three  miles 
distant,  but  which  in  times  of  heavy  rains  threatens 
to  assume  its  old  dominion  and  flood  the  city. 
This  danger  is  further  increased  by  the  fact  that 
the  level  of  the  lake  is  only  four  feet  below  the 
great  square  of  Mexico.  There  have  already  been 
several  inundations.  Once  for  a  period  of  five 
years  the  water  stood  at  such  a  depth  in  the 
streets  that  boats  were  used  as  in  the  olden  times. 
To  obviate  this  danger  various  means  have  been 
tried,  the  principal  one  being  the  dike  of  "  Nochis- 
tongo,"  the  greatest  earth-cutting  in  the  world, 
but  *as  yet  unfinished. 

The  houses  of  Mexico  are  of  stone,  three  or 
four  stories  high,  built  in  the  Spanish  style,  with 
patios,  balconies,  and  barred  windows.  The  streets 
all  run  at  right  angles,  terminating  in  a  square,  but 
for  all  that  it  is  difficult  for  a  stranger  to  find 
his  way,  since  the  exteriors  of  the  houses  present 
one  continuous  straight  wall,  so  that  there  are 
very  few  landmarks  save  churches,  and,  moreover, 


A   BEAUTIFUL    CLIMATE. 

every  block  in  the  street  has  a  separate  name  and 
number.  Its  population  is  estimated  at  three 
hundred  thousand.  It  has  almost  numberless 
churches,  beautiful  gardens  and  squares,  and  fine 
avenues. 

The  climate  is  justly  celebrated,  though  to  us 
not  so  agreeable  as  that  of  Guatemala,  of  some- 
what less  elevation.  The  region  is  one  of  per- 
petual summer,  with  flowers  and  fruits  the  year 
round.  The  temperature  ranges  from  sixty-five  to 
eighty-five  degrees ;  it  is  quite  warm  in  the  middle 
of  the  day,  but  always  cool  morning  and  night. 
The  rarefied  air  is  said  to  affect  the  breathing, 
though  we  noticed  no  unpleasant  sensation,  except 
a  restlessness  and  sleeplessness,  which  may  have 
been  due  to  the  exhilarating  effects  of  the  atmos- 
phere, and  which  made  it  impossible  for  us  to  take 
a  siesta.  The  city  itself  is  not  as  healthy  as 
some  others  in  Mexico,  for  example  Puebla.  This 
is  due  to  the  fact  of  a  lack  of  drainage,  which 
causes  malaria  and  typhus  fever,  and  would,  if  not 
for  the  great  elevation,  make  the  city  very  un- 
healthy. Pneumonia  is  quite  prevalent,  and  "  tak- 
ing cold  "  is  greatly  dreaded. 

Before   describing  the  city  let  us  look  back  a 


254  THE    VENICE    OF   THE   AZTECS. 

little  into  its  past,  that  we  may  the  better  under- 
stand the  people  and  the  scenes  we  witness. 

When  Cortez  and  his  army,  in  1520,  after  their 
perilous  and  adventurous  march  from  the  coast, 
came  to  the  present  site  of  Mexico,  they  found 
the  capital  of  a  kingdom  which  astonished  them 
for  its  wealth,  power,  and  magnificence, — the 
kingdom  of  the  Aztecs,  who  came  into  Mexico  at 
the  close  of  the  thirteenth  century.  Who  these 
Aztecs  were,  or  whence  they  came,  is  still  a  mys- 
tery. Some  have  tried  to  identify  them  with  the 
lost  tribes  of  Israel,  others  believe  they  are  of 
Asiatic  origin ;  but  whoever  they  were,  it  is  certain 
they  were  a  wonderful  people,  for  the  Spaniards, 
from  the  most  advanced  country  of  Europe  at 
that  time,  were  astonished  at  their  civilization. 
Prescott  gives  us  the  Spaniards'  first  impression  of 
the  capital  as  follows  :  "  Like  some  Indian  Em- 
press with  her  coronal  of  pearls  —  the  fair  city 
of  Mexico,  with  her  white  towers  and  pyramidal 
temples,  reposing  as  it  were  on  the  bosom  of  the 
waters,  — the  far  famed  'Venice  of  the  Aztecs.'  ' 

At  the  entrance  of  the  city  the  Spaniards  were 
met  by  the  royal  retinue,  which  advanced  with  as 
much  pomp  as  thai  of  an  Oriental  prince:  "  Amidst 


A   SPLENDID  PAGEANT.  255 

a  crowd  of  Indian  nobles,  preceded  by  three  officers 
of  state,  bearing  golden  wands,  they  saw  the  royal 
palanquin  blazing  with  burnished  gold.  It  was 
borne  on  the  shoulders  of  nobles,  and  over  it  a 
canopy  of  gaudy  feather  work,  powdered  with 
jewels  and  fringed  with  silver,  was  supported  by 
four  attendants  of  the  same  rank.  When  the  train 
had  come  within  a  convenient  distance,  Monte- 
zuma  descended  from  his  litter,  leaning  on  the 
arms  of  two  lords,  and  the  obsequious  attendants 
strewed  the  ground  with  cotton  tapestry  that  his 
imperial  feet  might  not  be  contaminated  by  the 
rude  soil.  His  subjects,  who  lined  the  sides  of  the 
causeway,  bent  forward  with  their  eyes  fastened 
on  the  ground  as  he  passed,  and  some  of  the 
humbler  classes  prostrated  themselves  before 
him." 

"  Montezuma  wore  the  girdle  and  ample  square 
cloak,  'tilmatli,'  of  his  nation.  It  was  made  of  the 
finest  cotton,  with  the  embroidered  ends  gathered 
in  a  knot  round  his  neck.  His  feet  were  defended 
by  sandals  having  soles  of  gold,  and  the  leathern 
thongs  which  bound  them  to  his  ankles  were  em- 
bossed with  the  same  metal.  Both  the  cloak  and 
sandals  were  sprinkled  with  pearls  and  precious 


256  AZTEC  CIVILIZATION. 

stones.  On  his  head  he  wore  no  other  ornament 
than  a  *  panache '  of  plumes  of  the  royal  green, 
which  floated  down  his  back,  the  badge  of  mili- 
tary rank." 

When  they  entered  the  city  they  were  still  fur- 
ther filled  with  admiration  and  wonder.  The  ex- 
cellence of  the  architecture  astonished  them,  and 
they  pronounced  the  best  of  the  buildings  equal 
to  those  in  Spain.  The  houses  were  of  stone  from 
the  quarries,  with  flat  roofs  covered  with  gardens, 
and  with  walls  of  scented  wood,  hung_with  rich 
tapestries  and  feather  work.  The  buildings 
covered  large  spaces  of  ground,  that  of  Monte- 
zuma  being  described  as  so  extensive  that  the 
whole  could  not  be  traversed  at  one  time  without 
the  greatest  fatigue.  There  were  beautiful  gar- 
dens, a  large  aviary,  menageries  of  wild  beasts, 
and  an  immense  market  place  in  which  were  gath- 
ered products  and  riches  from  the  whole  realm. 
The  emperor  presented  them  with  rich  gifts  of 
gold,  silver,  emeralds,  pearls,  and  other  precious 
stones,  which  dazzled  the  eyes  of  the  avaricious 
Spaniards  and  made  them  long  for  conquest. 

The  people,  too,  were  quite  advanced  in  the 
mechanical  arts,  agriculture,  and  weaving ;  their 


A    GIFTED   PEOPLE.  2$7 

fabrics  were  of  great  fineness  and  beauty  ;  their 
feather  work,  of  which  some  remnant  remains  at 
the  present  day,  was  remarkable  ;  and  the  work 
of  their  silversmiths  the  Spaniards  pronounced 
superior  to  their  own.  Even  allowing  much  for 
exaggeration  on  the  part  of  the  Spaniards,  there 
is  no  doubt  but  this  was  a  remarkable  kingdom 
and  one  seeing  the  Indians  of  to-day  in  Mexico 
can  hardly  realize  that  they  can  be  the  direct 
descendants  of  the  gifted  Aztecs,  until  he  remem- 
bers what  the  long  years  of  oppression  under  the 
Spanish  rule  must  have  done,  and  the  fact  that  in 
spite  of  all  this  the  best  beloved  President  of 
Mexico,  Juarez,  was  a  full-blooded  Indian. 

In  the  conquest  of  Mexico  the  noblest  of  the 
Aztecs  fell,  and  the  Spaniards  married  the  high- 
born Indian  maidens,  so  that  while  about  four- 
fifths  of  the  population  are  Indians,  the  remainder 
are  "  mestizos,"  with  the  exception  of  some  Cas- 
tilians  and  foreigners. 

Our  first  impressions  of  the  people  we  have 
already  given  as  very  unfavorable,  because  of  the 
desperate-looking  men  we  saw,  the  great  necessity 
for  military  force  to  insure  safety  in  travelling, 
and  the  deeds  of  blood  and  cruelty  which  are  even 


258  TWO  PEOPLES  COMPARED. 

now  committed.  But  in  the  City  of  Mexico  we 
saw  pleasanter  faces,  and  many  tourists  are 
very  favorably  impressed  by  the  people.  They 
are  very  courteous  and  polite,  as  are  all  Spanish 
people,  every  man,  however  poor,  being  a  gen- 
tleman. But  we  were  much  less  pleased  with 
them  than  the  Guatemaltecans,  with  whom  we 
naturally  compared  them.  They  seemed  to  us 
less  honest,  more  cruel,  and  less  intelligent ;  at 
any  rate,  not  nearly  as  quick  in  understanding 
poor  Spanish,  for  to  a  Guatemaltecan  we  need 
say  only  a  few  words  and  all  our  wants  would  be 
understood,  if  they  had  not  already  been  antici- 
pated, but  to  a  Mexican  we  must  give  a  full  and 
correct  sentence  before  we  could  get  anything, 
and  were  often  out  of  patience  with  his  stupidity. 
We  wondered  much  why  there  should  be  such  a 
difference  between  the  people  of  these  two  adjoin- 
ing countries,  both  having  been  originally  occupied 
by  Indians,  conquered  and  settled  by  Spaniards, 
and  under  Spanish  rule  for  about  the  same  length 
of  time.  It  seemed  to  us  that  part  of  the  answer 
lay  in  the  difference  in  the  Indian  blood,  the  Indians 
of  Guatemala  being  descended  from  the  Toltecs, 
who  are  supposed  to  have  been  superior  to  the 


FREE  FROM  CARE.  2 $9 

Aztecs,  as  less  warlike,  more  gentle  and  industrious, 
and,  above  all,  not  cannibals  or  practisers  of  the 
terrible  rite  of  human  sacrifice,  which  stained  the 
history  of  the  Aztecs.  We  noticed  at  once  a  dif- 
ference between  the  Mexican  and  Guatemala  In- 
dians. Though  of  the  same  general  appearance 
and  charcteristics,  the  Mexican  Indians  are  rather 
larger,  less  cleanly  and  less  honest,  and  with  less 
attractive  faces.  But  this  will  not  account  for  all 
the  difference,  and,  doubtless,  more  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  Mexico's  great  natural  resources  and  the 
stories  of  its  fabulous  wealth  have  attracted  to  it 
many  of  the  worst  and  most  adventurous  of  all  na- 
tions. 

With  no  thought  of  business,  our  whole  time 
now  was  given  to  sight-seeing,  in  company  with 
the  two  friends  from  Chicago,  who  greatly  en- 
hanced our  pleasure  and  profit,  for,  having  trav- 
elled so  long  alone,  we  were  pleased  to  find  com- 
panions who  not  only  were  most  agreeable,  but 
were  also  accustomed  to  travelling,  and  understood 
well  the  art  of  sight-seeing. 

The  street  scenes  in  the  City  of  Mexico  were 
more  fascinating  to  us  than  any  panorama  or 
museum,  and  it  was  a  perfect  delight,  an  experi- 


260  THE  POWER   OF   TIME  DEFIED. 

ence  ever  new  and  ever  fresh,  simply  to  walk  the 
streets  and  view  the  people,  —  this  "quaint,  primi- 
tive, slow,  and  picturesque  people."  There  are 
the  Indians,  the  direct  descendants  of  the  old 
Aztecs,  who  once  held  sway  in  this  fertile  valley. 
To-day  they  still  dwell  here,  the  same  race  whom 
Cortez  conquered,  changed  and  still  unchanged. 
They  have  transferred  their  worship  of  idols  to 
that  of  the  Virgin  ;  their  feasts  and  holy  days  in 
honor  of  their  gods  to  the  saints  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  They  have  learned  the  Spanish  language 
(some  of  them),  but  that  is  about  all.  They 
still  dress  in  much  the  same  fashion,  eat  the  same 
food,  build  their  houses  as  of  old,  raise  vegetables 
and  flowers,  sell  goods  in  the  market  place,  and 
make  rag  figures  and  the  beautiful  feather  work 
which  so  enchanted  Cortez.  Whole  villages  ex- 
actly as  they  were  three  hundred  years  ago,  aque- 
ducts all  bringing  water  into  the  City  of  Mexico, 
and  the  famous  "  floating  gardens,"  still  exist  as 
their  monuments.  We  meet  these  Indians  at 
every  turn,  and  forget  their  dirt  and  rags  in  the 
thought  of  their  wonderful  history.  Nowhere  else 
is  there  to  be  found  a  more  primitive  people  —  a 
people  so  long  remaining  unchanged,  a  people 


THE    VILE   "LEPERO."  %l 

conquered  but  not  subdued,  brought  low  but  not 
enslaved,  ruled  over  but  still  ruling. 

Besides  these  we  met  the  "  caballero,"  in  Euro- 
pean dress;  the  "fair  senorita  "  of  pure  Castilian 
blood,  dressed  in  the  conventional  black  and  wear- 
ing the  graceful  Spanish  mantilla;  the  "  charro," 
or  Mexican  rider,  in  his  striking  costume,  on  a  horse 
with  magnificent  trappings  ;  troops  of  soldiers  in 
uniform  ;  venders  of  lottery  tickets  as  thick  as 
flies;  the  loathsome  "leperos,"  and  the  quaint 
and  pleasant-faced  "  aguador,"  or  water-carrier  — 
these  two  latter  in  striking  contrast,  one  the  most 
repulsive,  the  other  the  most  interesting  personage 
of  the  streets  of  Mexico.  The  former  is  a  ragged 
and  dirty  "  mestizo,"  one  of  the  vilest  specimens 
of  humanity,  a  born  thief  and  murderer.  He 
meets  you  at  every  turn,  being  especially  promi- 
nent in  the  cathedrals  on  feast  days  ;  importunes 
you  for  money  in  a  whining,  monotonous  tone 
"por  Dios  "  ;  is  ever  on  the  lookout  to  steal  your 
watch  and  money  ;  and,  if  any  one  wants  to  be  rid 
of  you,  "will  kill  you  for  a  dollar."  There  is  no 
place  where  greater  care  must  be  exercised  against 
pickpockets.  It  has  almost  passed  into  a  proverb 
that  every  American  who  comes  to  Mexico  loses 


262  THE  KIXDLY  "AGUADOR." 

his  watch,  but  we  met  with  no  trouble  whatever  of 
this  kind. 

The  "aguador,"  whom  we  always  liked  to  meet, 
is  as  honest  as  the  "  lepero  "  is  dishonest,  and  shows 
it  in  his  kindly  face.  His  business  is  to  convey 
water  from  the  various  fountains  throughout  the 
city  to  the  houses.  His  dress  is  a  queer  suit  of 
leather,  and  on  his  back,  from  a  leather  strap, 
hangs  a  large  earthen  jar,  while  in  his  hands  he 
carries  a  water  pitcher.  Always  with  the  same 
kind,  unvarying  expression  and  statuesque  pose, 
he  looks  like  some  queer  figure  that  has  suddenly 
stepped  out  of  an  old  museum  and  taken  on  the 
power  of  locomotion. 

The  trade  of  "  cargador,"  or  burden-bearing,  is 
followed  as  extensively  in  Mexico  as  in  Guate- 
mala. Almost  everything  used  in  the  great  city 
is  borne  on  the  backs  of  men.  It  was  no  uncom- 
mon sight  to  see  a  piano  being  carried  by  three  or 
four  men,  for  there  is  no  other  express.  A  com- 
pany was  started  a  while  ago  by  a  New  York  firm, 
but  it  proved  a  failure. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

IN    AND    ABOUT    THE    PLAZA. 

As  in  the  old  Roman  Empire  "  all  roads  lead  to 
Rome,"  so  in  Mexico  all  streets  lead  to  the  Plaza 
Mayor,  and  every  morning,  after  taking  our  coffee, 
we  wended  our  way  thither,  and  then  started  on 
the  excursion  we  had  planned  for  the  day.  The 
Plaza  is  the  great  central  square  of  the  city,  from 
which  lines  of  horse-cars  run  in  all  directions.  On 
its  four  sides  are  the  great  cathedral,  the  National 
Palace,  and  the  "portales,"  or  open  arcades,  where 
there  are  numberless  shops  lining  both  sides  of 
the  pavement.  In  the  centre  of  the  square  is  the 
pleasure  garden  called  the  "zocalo,"  with  beau- 
tiful flowers  and  trees,  among  which  are  found 
both  the  palm  and  the  pine  growing  together,  a 
sight  seen  in  but  few  parts  of  the  world.  There 
is  music  here  two  or  three  times  a  week,  and 
then  the  scene  is  a  gay  one,  for  the  garden  is 
thronged  with  all  classes,  from  the  highest  to  the 

263 


264  "NIEVE"  AND   FRUIT-DRINKS. 

lowest.  Venders  of  curious  Mexican  products  are 
of  course  numerous,  among  whom  are  small  boys 
calling  "nieve"  (Mexican  ice-cream),  which  tastes, 
as  its  name  would  indicate,  like  half  melted 
snow  with  a  little  vanilla  flavoring.  Real  ice- 
cream is  not  known  here,  although  it  would  be 
refreshing  in  this  climate ;  but  ice  is  a  luxury 
and  has  to  be  manufactured  by  machinery  or 
brought  down  from  Popocatapetl  on  mules'  backs. 
Formerly  all  the-ice  used  by  the  city  was  supplied 
from  the  icicles  of  this  volcano. 

Instead  of  ice-cream  there  are  fruit-drinks  of  va- 
rious kinds,  which  are  most  refreshing,  although 
rather  too  sweet  for  the  American  taste.  All 
along  on  one  side  of  the  "zocalo"  is  a  row  of 
white,  gayly  decorated  tents,  where  these  drinks 
are  sold.  The  principal  are  "limonada"  (from 
the  lime),  "tamarinda"  (from  the  tamarind),  "chia" 
(from  a  fruit  unknown  to  us),  "orchata"  (from 
melon  seeds),  and  "pina"  (from  the  pineapple). 
We  never  passed  these  tents  without  patronizing 
one  of  them,  which  was  on  an  average  about 
twice  a  day,  and  we  had  many  and  long  struggles 
to  get  the  "limonada"  sour  enough  to  suit  one 
of  the  party. 


"PULQUE."  265 

The  "  pulque,"  which  is  the  national  drink,  is 
not  sold  in  such  an  attractive  manner,  but  is  carted 
about  in  skins  of  black  pigs.  As  has  been  before 
stated,  the  "pulque"  is  made  from  the  maguey  or 
century-plant,  as  we  call  it,  which,  on  the  plains  of 
Mexico,  attains  a  great  size,  its  leaves  being  some- 
times ten  feet  long.  The  sap  of  the  plant  is  ex- 
tracted by  an  Indian,  who  draws  it  out  through  a 
gourd  by  suction.  A  single  plant  yields  from  two 
to  seven  quarts  a  day,  and  is  valued  at  ten  dollars. 
The  sap  when  first  removed  is  sweet,  and  appro- 
priately called  "agtiamiel,"  or  honey-water.  This 
allowed  to  ferment  about  twenty-four  hours  be- 
comes "pulque,"  which  contains  about  six  per  cent 
of  alcohol.  It  looks  very  much  like  buttermilk, 
and  has  a  sour,  disagreeable  odor  and  taste  (to  any 
but  a  Mexican),  but  is  said  to  be  a  refreshing  drink 
and  a  most  excellent  promoter  of  digestion,  and 
Europeans  and  Americans  can  learn  to  like  it. 
Further  fermented  it  becomes  "  mescal,"  which  is 
very  intoxicating,  containing  about  as  much  alco- 
hol as  whiskey.  "  Pulque  "  was  invented  by  the 
Toltecs,  who  were  as  fond  of  it  as  the  Mexicans  are 
to-day,  and  some  idea  of  the  estimation  in  which 
it  is  now  held  may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  a 


266  THE   GREAT  CATHEDRAL. 

daily  train  is  rim  from  the  " maguey"  district,  one 
hundred  miles  from  Mexico,  to  the  city,  for  the 
sole  transportation  of  "pulque,"  from  which  the 
railroad  derives  a  revenue  of  one  thousand  dollars 
a  day.  The  plant  is  also  put  to  many  other  uses, 
the  leaves  being  used  for  thatching  and  for  making 
paper,  the  fibres  for  making  thread  and  twine,  the 
thorns  for  needles. 

The  great  cathedral  at  the  head  of  the  Plaza  is 
the  most  prominent  building  in  all  Mexico,  and  is 
said  to  be  the  largest  church  on  the  American  con- 
tinent. It  is  built  on  the  very  spot  of  the  old 
Aztec  temple,  which  was  destroyed  by  Cortez  in 
1530.  The  cost  was  two  million  dollars,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  most  of  the  labor  was  free, 
the  Indians  working  from  a  spirit  of  devotion. 

The  exterior  is  very  beautiful,  with  elaborate 
stucco  work,  and  the  interior  still  rich,  although  it 
has  been  stripped  of  its  greatest  wealth  by  the 
successive  plunderings  which  have  occurred  in 
various  times  of  revolution  and  invasion.  Lead- 
ing from  the  main  body  of  the  house  are  twenty- 
five  chapels,  each  with  its  own  altar  and  saint.  So 
vast  is  this  great  church  that  forty  priests  can  say ' 
mass  at  the  same  time  without  interference,  and  a 


A    GORGEOUS  INTERIOR.  267 

company  of  ten  thousand  soldiers  make  scarcely 
any  impression. 

When  the  clerical  party  was  at  the  height  of  its 
power  and  possessed  nearly  all  the  wealth  of 
Mexico,  the  great  altar  in  the  centre  of  the  cathe- 
dral was  the  richest  in  the  world,  and  it  is  now 
magnificent,  although  it  has  lost  many  rich  treas- 
ures, such  as  gold  crosses,  censers  and  chalices 
studded  with  precious  gems,  golden  candlesticks 
heavier  than  a  man  could  lift,  and  statues  of  gold 
set  with  diamonds.  The  church  is  still  adorned 
with  exceedingly  beautiful  frescoes  and  paintings 
by  celebrated  artists,  but  the  general  effect  of  the 
interior  is  rather  of  gorgeousness  than  elegance. 

We  happened  to  be  in  Mexico  during  Lent, 
when  almost  every  day  is  a  feast  day,  when  the 
churches  are  all  draped,  all  the  ladies  go  to  mass 
in  black,  and  services  are  frequently  and  faithfully 
attended.  The  cathedral  seemed  to  be  crowded 
all  the  time  with  rich  and  poor,  high  and  low 
alike  ;  the  beautiful  senora  could  be  seen  kneel- 
ing on  the  stone  floor  beside  a  ragged  Indian 
with  a  load  on  his  back,  and  the  proud  Span- 
iard close  beside  the  dirty  beggar.  Palm  Sunday 
the  cathedral  was  so  crowded  that  we  could 


268  "DRIVING    THE  DEVIL   OUT." 

scarcely  find  standing  room,  and  the  air  so  close 
and  odorous  that  we  were  thankful  to  get  out  as 
soon  as  possible.  There  was  a  gay  scene  before 
the  church,  where  hundreds  of  Indian  women 
were  sitting,  weaving  the  palm  leaves  into  various 
pretty  and  curious  shapes,  and  decorating  them 
with  bright-colored  poppies.  Everybody  carried 
one  of  these  palms,  and  the  bright  color  of  the 
poppies  setting  off  the  yellow  background  of  the 
leaf  made  the  streets  look  bright  and  gay. 

Almost  every  day  of  this  week  was  a  feast  day 
to  some  saint  or  saints,  and  had  its  own  particular 
observances.  One  of  the  most  curious  supersti- 
tions is  shown  in  the  fact  that  all  the  children 
as  they  go  about  the  streets  Thursday  swing  a 
rattle  with  great  vehemence,  and  firmly  believe 
that  the  noise  will  "drive  the  devil  out  of  town." 
Sometimes  these  rattles  are  attached  to  a  gro- 
tesque image  of  the  arch-fiend,  but  in  whatever 
form  they  are  made,  they  are  swung  by  the  small 
boys  with  great  delight,  and  fill  the  air  with  noise 
enough  to  banish  Satan  and  all  his  host.  On 
Good  Friday  the  people  take  it  upon  them- 
selves to  execute  vengeance  upon  Judas.  Num- 
berless effigies  of  the  betrayer,  filled  with  explo- 


VENGEANCE    UPON  JUDAS.  269 

sives,  are  paraded  about  the  streets  and  blown  up 
by  the  boys  amidst  great  enthusiasm.  Saturday 
morning  immense  figures  of  Judas  are  stretched 
across  the  streets,  very  many  being  hung  in  front 
of  the  cathedral,  and  at  10  A.  M.  all  the  bells 
ring  with  great  clamor,  the  drapings  fall  in  the 
churches,  fire-works  are  set  off,  and  the  images  of 
Judas  are  exploded  in  the  midst  of  great  rejoicing. 
Easter  Sunday  is  of  course  the  great  festal  day  ; 
then  the  churches  are  beautifully  decorated,  and 
the  people  leave  off  their  black  and  appear  in  gay 
holiday  attire. 

These  observances  still  exist,  although  the 
power  of  the  church  has  been  broken.  Priests 
and  nuns  are  forbidden  to  appear  in  the  streets  in 
their  characteristic  dress,  on  penalty  of  impris- 
onment, but  the  people  still  show  them  great  ado- 
ration. We  one  day  saw  the  people  all  kneeling 
as  a  bishop  descended  from  his  carriage,  and  often 
saw  young  men  kiss  the  hand  of  a  priest  with 
greatest  adulation.  Formerly  there  were  frequent 
religious  processions,  in  which  some  image  was 
carried  through  the  streets,  and  everybody  was 
required  to  remain  kneeling  while  it  passed,  but 
this  kept  the  people  on  their  knees  the  greater 


27O  THE  MEXICAN  PASSION-PLAY. 

portion  of  the  time,  and  interfered  so  seriously 
with  business  that  the  processions  were  finally 
abolished. 

As  it  was  Lent  there  were  few  amusements  in 
the  city,  the  theatres  all  being  closed,  but  on 
Palm  Sunday  at  one  of  them  the  Passion  Play  was 
given,  and  after  some  debate  we  decided  to  go. 
It  seemed  to  us  that  the  natural  environment  of 
the  play  there,  the  character  and  religion  of  the 
people,  and  the  spirit  with  which  it  would  be 
given  and  witnessed  would  make  it  an  entirely 
different  affair  from  the  same  play  anywhere  else 
in  the  world  save  in  Oberammergau  itself,  where 
it  is  purely  a  matter  of  religion,  a  holy  and  sacred 
rite  on  the  part  of  all  the  participants.  In  this 
opinion  we  were  not  disappointed,  and  were  very 
glad  we  witnessed  the  play,  for  it  was  most  im- 
pressive throughout  —  a  wonderful  commentary 
on  the  Bible  narrative. 

The  play  began  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
and  lasted  until  after  nine  o'clock.  It  was  in 
seven  acts,  and  the  waits  between  were  quite 
long ;  still  it  was  not  wearisome.  Each  scene  had 
a  solemnity  about  it  that  kept  the  audience  under 
a  spell  so  that  the  intervals  were  not  noticed,  the 


A   PERFECT  PICTURE.  2? I 

mind  being  fully  occupied  with  what  had  been 
presented. 

The  whole  effect  of  the  play  was  very  similar 
to  that  produced  by  looking  at  pictures  upon  the 
same  subject,  although  far  more  impressive.  The 
costumes,  attitudes  and  scenes  were  copied  with 
the  greatest  faithfulness  from  the  paintings  of  the 
great  artists.  For  instance,  "The  Last  Supper" 
was  a  living  embodiment  of  the  well-known  pic- 
ture of  Da  Vinci,  faithful  to  the  smallest  detail. 
In  all  the  scenes  it  was  remarkable  how  closely  the 
faces  of  all  the  actors  resembled  those  made  famil- 
iar to  everybody  by  these  paintings,  and  there  is 
no  doubt  but  that  these  people,  belonging,  as  we 
have  reason  to  believe,  to  an  Oriental  race,  are  by 
natural  endowment  and  cast  of  features  better 
adapted  than  almost  any  other,  certainly  better 
than  the  German  race,  to  enact  this  play. 

The  dialogue  was,  of  course,  all  in  Spanish,  a 
beautiful  and  quite  faithful  rendering  of  the  Bible 
account,  and  the  fact  that  we  could  not  understand 
the  whole  perfectly  only  served  to  heighten  the 
effect,  enough  being  understood  to  keep  the  mind 
fully  acquainted  with  the  progress  of  the  action, 
and  not  enough  to  detract  from  the  high  concep- 


272  MISSIONS  AY  MEXICO. 

tion  of  the  scene.  In  some  instances  there  were 
no  words  spoken,  particularly  in  the  scene  of  the 
crucifixion — the  most  powerful  of  all,  a  scene 
wonderfully  realistic  and  most  impressive. 

In  the  whole  play  from  beginning  to  end  there 
was  nothing  that  could  be  discordant  or  disagree- 
able to  the  most  religious  person.  Quite  the 
contrary :  the  whole  seemed  more  weighty  and 
powerful  than  any  sermon  could  be  on  the  same 
subject.  Still  it  does  not  in  the  least  follow  that 
its  production  in  this  country  should  be  encour- 
aged or  supported ;  for,  although  most  fitting  and 
effectual  among  the  simple  people,  who  attended 
with  reverence  and  religious  feelings,  it  would  be 
an  entirely  different  thing  in  this  country  and 
among  our  mixed  population.  In  Mexico  the  play 
was  in  its  proper  setting,  but  here  it  would  not  be. 
There  it  was  a  religious  act,  here  it  would  be  sac- 
rilege. 

Since  1862  there  have  been  Protestant  missions 
in  Mexico,  and  they  now  number  fifteen.  The 
work  was  at  first  very  slow  and  discouraging,  and 
met  with  great  opposition,  even  so  much  that  the 
lives  of  Protestants  were  in  great  danger,  but 
the  missions  are  now  quite  well  established.  In 


THE  "CALENDAR  STONE."  2/3 

the  City  of  Mexico  there  are  ten  Protestant  con- 
gregations, three  of  which  hold  services  every 
Sunday  in  English. 

Many  curious  remains  have  been  unearthed  in 
the  spot  where  the  cathedral  now  stands,  and 
where  the  Aztec  temple  once  stood.  Among 
them  is  the  famous  "  calendar  stone "  of  the 
Aztecs,  supposed  to  have  been  used  in  computing 
time,  although  this  is  not  certain.  It  is  a  large 
stone,  weighing  twenty-six  tons,  hewn  out  of  basalt 
from  distant  quarries,  and  completely  covered  with 
sculpture,  attesting  to  the  skill  of  the  Aztecs.  It 
is  now  inserted  in  the  side  of  the  present  cathe- 
dral. In  the  "zocalo"  is  a  rockery  composed  of 
lava  from  the  volcano  and  of  idols  dug  out  of  this 
spot  —  idols  of  various  forms  and  sizes,  making  a 
curious  collection. 

Prescott  describes  a  visit  which  Cortez  made  to 
the  old  heathen  temple  at  Montezuma's  invitation. 
The  temple  or  "teocalli,"  as  it  was  called,  is 
described  as  pyramidal,  built  of  stone,  and  with 
five  stories,  decreasing  in  size.  The  ascent  was 
made  by  a  flight  of  steps  on  the  outside  and  was 
so  tiresome  that  Montezuma  provided  priests  to 
carry  himself  and  Cortez,  but  the  latter  refused 


274  THE    TEMPLE   OF  SACRIFICE. 

the  offer,  preferring  to  march  at  the  head  of  his 
men,  saying,  "The  Spaniards  are  never  weary." 
On  the  summit  they  found  a  vast  area  paved  with 
stones,  and  had  a  magnificent  view  of  the  city  and 
surroundings,  so  magnificent  that  Cortez  could 
not  restrain  his  excessive  admiration. 

Montezuma  showed  them  the  gods  of  the  Aztecs 
and  the  implements  used  in  their  worship.  There 
was  the  sacrificial  stone  of  jasper,  nine  feet  high 
and  twenty-seven  feet  in  circumference.  On  this 
stone,  it  is  said,  upwards  of  sixty  thousand  victims 
were  sacrificed,  the  heart  being  cut  out  of  the 
living  victim  by  the  priest  and  offered  to  the 
god  of  war.  Many  of  the  brave  Spaniards  met 
this  fate,  for  all  who  could  be  taken  alive  were 
thus  sacrificed.  They  were  shown  also  the  circu- 
lar drum,  of  serpents'  skins,  whose  melancholy 
sound  was  the  signal  to  arouse  the  whole  city  to 
arms,  and  which  not  long  afterward,  when  the 
siege  of  Mexico  had  begun,  smote  on  the  ears  of 
the  Spaniards  like  a  death  knell.  Then  they  were 
taken  into  the  sanctuaries  of  the  gods,  the  principal 
one  being  "Huitzilopotxtli,"  god  of  war,  a  colossal, 
hideous  image,  his  chief  ornament  being  a  chain 
of  gold  and  silver  hearts  about  his  neck,  while  on 


THE  NATIONAL   PALACE.  2? 5 

the  altar  before  him  lay  three  human  hearts  just 
torn  from  their  victims.  They  saw  other  altars 
and  sanctuaries,  and  were  horrified  at  the  sight  of 
this  pagan  worship.-  They  declared  "the  stench 
was  more  intolerable  than  that  of  the  slaughter- 
houses in  Castile,  and  the  frantic  forms  of  priests, 
with  their  dark  robes  clotted  with  blood,  as  they 
flitted  to  and  fro,  seemed  to  be  the  very  ministers 
of  Satan." 

The  entire  east  side  of  the  Plaza  is  occupied  by 
the  National  Palace  or  government  building,  capa- 
ble, it  is  said,  of  lodging  ten  thousand  persons.  It 
is  open  to  visitors  on  application  to  the  Governor. 
The  troops  are  reviewed  every  morning  in  front  of 
this  building,  and  an  appearance  of  power  and 
authority  is  always  maintained  by  guards  at  fre- 
quent intervals.  There  was  quite  a  military  dis- 
play in  the  city  while  we  were  there,  as  it  was 
the  time  of  the  troubles  in  Guatemala,  to  which 
troops  were  being  sent,  and  companies  of  sol- 
diers frequently  paraded  the  streets  with  bands 
of  music. 

When  we  had  the  courage  to  run  the  gauntlet 
of  haggling  peddlers  we  used  to  walk  the  length 
of  the  "  portales  "  and  gaze  with  wonder  and  curi- 


2/6  PETTY  MERCHANTS. 

osity  on  the  various  little  shops  standing  as  thick 
as  possible  on  both  sides.  In  our  large  cities  we 
have  many  stands  and  petty  merchants,  but  noth- 
ing to  compare  with  Mexico.  There,  if  a  man 
possesses  one  article,  he  will  set  himself  up  for  a 
merchant.  A  fellow  importuned  us  one  day  to 
buy  of  him  a  canary  bird  which  he  held  in  his 
hand.  Often  a  gilt  mirror  or  a  cheap  picture 
would  bear  the  sign  "  se  vencle "  (for  sale),  and 
this  one  article  would  constitute  the  man's  sole 
stock  in  trade.  Some  of  the  stands,  in  fact,  most 
of  them,  have  a  variety  of  goods,  not  even  sur- 
passed by  the  "  Old  Curiosity  Shop."  For  instance, 
there  would  be  candy,  old  iron,  fruit,  lace,  spurs 
and  bits,  ribbon,  beads,  Aztec  idols,  knives  and 
forks,  crosses,  amulets,  and  dolls,  all  in  one  con- 
fused array  at  the  same  little  stand.  Just  as  in 
Guatemala,  you  must  always  haggle  with  the  mer- 
chant and  give  him  less  than  half  his  first  price. 
But  the  peddlers  who  go  about  the  streets  are 
the  most  annoying,  and  it  is  quite  as  hard  to 
get  rid  of  them  as  of  a  beggar,  — "  No,"  and 
"  I  do  not  want  it,"  making  no  impression  what- 
ever, unless  it  be  to  redouble  their  efforts.  We 
must  give  one  or  two  examples  of  the  experiences 


HAGGLING.  2?  7 

of  this  kind  that  we  had  to  undergo  many  times  a 
day. 

A  boy  meets  us  with  tortoise-shell  combs  and 
asks  us  to  buy.  They  are  really  a  very  nice 
article,  and  we  inquire  the  price. 

"Diez  y  seis  reales"  ($2.00),  the  boy  answers. 

"  No  ;  that  is  too  much." 

"  Doce  reales"  ($1.50). 

"Too  much.     I  don't  want  it." 

More  earnestly,  "  Ocho  reales"  ($1.00). 

"No;  I  don't  want  it,"  and  we  turn  to  go 
away. 

Then  he  eagerly  asks,  "  How  much  will  you 
give  ? " 

"  Cuatro  reales  "  (50  cents). 

Whereupon,  to  our  own  surprise,  the  boy  imme- 
diately closes  the  bargain,  and  we  have  his  two- 
dollar  comb  for  fifty  cents. 

Another  time  we  are  met  by  a  man  with  canes 
to  sell. 

We  shake  our  heads  and  say,  "  No,  no,"  as 
emphatically  as  possible,  and  walk  on ;  but  he 
follows  us,  trying  to  get  us  to  look  at  his  canes, 
and  giving  us  the  prices,  five  and  six  dollars.  We 
say  that  is  very  dear  ("  muy  caro  ").  He  comes 
down  dollar  after  dollar,  and  we  keep  saying  "  No," 


2/8  INJURED  IXXOCEXCE. 

and  that  we  do  not  want  his  canes,  but  he  pays 
not  the  slightest  attention  and  seems  the  more 
determined  to  sell  us  one  because  we  declare  we 
do  not  want  it.  Then  comes  the  invariable  ques- 
tion, "  How  much  wrill  you  give  ? "  We  answer 
emphatically  that  "  We  do  not  want  any  canes  at 
any  price  "  ;  but  that  does  not  in  the  least  discour- 
age him.  Finally,  after  he  has  followed  us  the 
whole  length  of  the  street  and  repeated  the  same 
questions  over  and  over,  we  decide  to  make  him  an 
offer  that  will  silence  him,  and,  in  sheer  despera- 
tion, say  we  will  give  a  "medio."  At  that  he 
turns  on  his  heel  and  walks  off  with  such  a  look 
of  injured  innocence,  disgust,  and  astonishment 
that  we  almost  repent  our  own  escape.  That  a 
sane  person  could  be  capable  of  such  audacity  as 
to  offer  five  cents  for  a  five-dollar  article  is  evi- 
dently more  than  he  had  ever  imagined  possible 
even  for  an  American. 

This  method,  although  not  entirely  satisfactoiy 
to  ourselves,  was  the  only  one  we  ever  found  that 
was  at  all  effectual.  When  all  other  experiments 
failed  we  turned  to  this  as  a  final  resort,  and  would 
commend  it  to  all  travellers  in  Mexico  who  have 
the  courage  to  bear  the  sad  effect  produced  on  the 
zealous  peddler. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

RAMBLES    ABOUT   THE    CITY. 

NEAR  the  Plaza  is  situated  the  market,  which, 
as  we  have  before  stated,  is  always  an  interesting 
place  to  visit  in  these  countries.  This  market  was 
more  crowded  than  any  we  had  ever  seen  ;  in  fact, 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  make  one's  way  about 
among  the  people  and  the  wares  which  thickly 
covered  the  ground. 

But  most  interesting  of  all  to  us  were  the 
bright,  black-eyed  boys,  of  ten  or  twelve,  whose 
business  it  is  to  carry  purchases  in  the  bas- 
kets which  they  bear  on  their  heads.  As  soon 
as  our  party  of  four  entered,  we  were  at  once 
besought  by  six  or  seven  of  these  little  fellows 
who  looked  upon  us  as  desirable  patrons,  —  for 
Americans  have  a  great  reputation  among  them 
for  being  rich,  and  it  is  as  easy  in  Mexico  to 
recognize  an  American  as  for  us  to  recognize  a 
Chinaman  in  our  streets.  We  observed  this  fact 
279 


280  A    TOUCH  OF  NATURE. 

with  interest,  and  could  not  only  distinguish  a 
party  of  Americans  as  soon  as  we  saw  them,  but 
could  almost  tell  by  their  appearance  just  how 
long  they  had  been  in  Mexico,  and  to  what  place 
of  interest  they  were  then  going. 

But  to  return  to  the  boys.  Never  in  their  lives 
have  they  known  what  play  is.  As  soon  as  they 
could  walk,  they  began  to  work  ;  but  still,  the  fun 
and  mischief  inherent  in  the  boy  nature  was 
there,  and,  with  bright  faces  and  laughing  eyes, 
they  eagerly  looked  up  at  us,  and  all  talking  to- 
gether as  fast  as  possible,  entreated  us  to  hire  them. 
We  declared  we  did  not  need  their  services,  but 
they  only  redoubled  their  efforts,  and  talked  away 
in  such  a  lively,  good-natured  manner  that  we 
smiled,  too,  in  spite  of  our  attempts  to  look  severe. 
My  father  got  impatient  over  the  delay  —  for  not 
understanding  a  word  he  failed  to  see  the  fun  — 
and  said,  "Why  don't  you  send  them  away?  If 
I  could  speak  Spanish  I  would  get  rid  of  those 
boys."  How  many  times  a  day  every  impatient 
American  in  Mexico  makes  this  remark !  If  he 
"could  speak  Spanish,"  he  thinks  he  could 
reform  the  country ;  could  turn  slow-going  Mex- 
ico into  enterprising  Boston  ;  make  the  waiters 


SNAIL-PACED  MEXICO.  28 1 

jump  to  do  his  bidding,  and  the  servants  bound 
at  his  call.  But  he  might  just  as  well  think 
of  making  a  snail  go  at  a  hare's  pace.  Mexico  is 
slow  and  the  Mexicans  are  slow,  and.  will  be  in 
spite  of  all  that  Americans  speaking  Spanish, 
English,  or  any  other  language  can  do  to  make 
them  otherwise  ;  and  as  nothing  except  their  ill- 
will  can  be  gained  by  impatience  and  anger,  you 
might  just  as  well  when  you  are  there  resign  your- 
self to  their  easy,  careless  ways,  give  up  New 
England  push  and  hurry,  and  in  this  way  only 
•really  enjoy  Mexico. 

But  that  remark,  "  If  I  could  speak  Spanish," 
roused  two  of  us,  who  really  pretended  we  could, 
to  vindicate  ourselves  and  redeem  our  reputation  ; 
so  we  summoned  all  our  knowledge  and  dignity 
and  bade  the  boys  go.  away,  but  they  only  laughed 
the  more  and  talked  the  faster,  in  such  a  merry 
way  that  we  laughed  too,  and  let  them  follow  us 
about  as  long  as  they  wished.  One  among  them 
never  deserted  us,  never  failed  to  see  us  as  soon 
as  we  entered,  and  lingered  after  the  others  had 
gone,  even  until  we  left  the  market.  He  had  a 
bright,  pleasant  face  that  we  shall  always  remem- 
ber, and  we  are  perfectly  confident  that,  with  the 


282  AN  UN  WEEDED    GARDEA?. 

advantages  of  education  and  training,  he  would  be 
a  superior  man.  Those  of  the  Mexicans  who  have 
come  north  to  be  educated  have  shown  marked 
ability.  We  know  of  two  in  particular,  who  came 
not  understanding  a  word  of  English,  and  soon 
surpassed  all  others  in  the  school  they  attended, 
winning  the  highest  prizes  for  scholarship.  But 
this  boy  who  so  interested  us,  will  never  have  the 
advantages  of  an  education,  and  it  is  truly  sad  to 
think  of  him,  and  multitudes  of  others,  without 
any  chance  in  life  to  improve  and  develop  their 
God-given  powers. 

In  the  most  beautiful  faces  of  men  and  women, 
—  and  nowhere  can  there  be  seen  more  beau- 
tiful faces,  —  we  remarked  this  lack,  which  made 
their  beauty  simply  physical,  wanting  in  the  truest 
requisites.  The  children,  however,  before  they 
have  lost  their  youthful  innocence  and  grace,  are 
truly  beautiful,  but  time  brings  to  them  no  added 
wisdom  or  spirituality. 

We  once  saw  a  child,  a  girl  of  five  or  six  years, 
who  certainly  had  the  loveliest  face  we  had  ever 
seen  —  a  face  lovely  enough  for  one  of  Raphael's 
angels.  With  her  was  her  mother,  who,  as  we  saw 
from  the  regularity  of  her  featu-res,  was  once  just 


THE  BEAUTY  OF  MEXICAA'   WOMEN.        283 

as  fair,  but,  though  still  young,  she  had  lost  the 
grace  of  childhood  and  gained  nothing  in  intelli- 
gence or  strength  of  character.  Fiom  a  beautiful 
child  she  had  become,  as  her  looks  indicated,  an 
ordinary  vapid  woman,  and  such  would  the  child 
before  us  become  in  her  turn.  The  Mexican 
women,  like  the  women  of  other  Spanish  coun- 
tries, are  noted  for  their  beauty,  but  it  is  of  short 
duration,  for  they  begin  to  fade  as  soon  as  mar- 
ried, which  is  very  young,  and  are  old  at  thirty. 
The  majority  of  them,  too,  judging  from  those  we 
saw,  use  so  much  paint  and  powder  that  they 
completely  conceal  what  natural  beauty  they  do 
have.  The  universality  of  this  foolish  practice, 
and  the  extent  to  which  it  is  carried,  has  no  par- 
allel in  any  country  in  which  we  have  ever  been. 
It  seemed  to  us,  comparing  the  two  countries, 
that  Guatemala  was  noticeable  for  its  handsome 
women,  Mexico  for  its  magnificent  looking  men. 

One  day  while  in  the  city  we  spent  in  shopping, 
particularly  for  curiosities,  for  there  are  several 
articles  of  Mexican  production  as  yet  but  little 
known.  Among  them  is  the  feather-work  already 
mentioned.  The  Indians,  with  the  real  feathers, 
fashion  on  a  card  a  perfect  representation  of  birds 


284  ARTISTIC  HANDIWORK. 

of  every  kind  known  to  them.  The  skill  shown  in 
making  these  beautiful  objects  is  remarkable,  and 
the  process  is  a  secret  unknown  save  to  a  few,  who 
guard  it  jealously  as  a  sacred  legacy  from  their 
Aztec  ancestors.  Another  relic  of  the  old  days 
is  the  "  rag  figures,"  most  life-like  representa- 
tions of  every  class  of  society,  and  considered 
by  many  to  surpass  the  best  work  of  the  Chinese 
or  Japanese.  There  is  also  to  tempt  the  tour- 
ist the  filagree  silver-work,  in  which  the  Mexi- 
cans excel ;  the  opals  of  greatest  variety ;  the 
beautiful  onyx,  which  is  polished  and  shaped  into 
various  forms ;  and  numerous  little  idols,  supposed 
to  have  been  made  by  the  old  Aztecs,  but  in  many 
cases  imitations  but  a  few  days  old. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  places  in  the  city 
to  visit  is  the  "Grand  National  Museum."  The 
court  of  this  building  is  very  beautiful,  with  flow- 
ers and  trees,  and  in  the  midst  of  it  is  the  great 
sacrificial  stone,  already  mentioned  as  used  by  the 
Aztecs  in  their  pagan  worship.  It  is  an  immense 
stone,  weighing  many  tons,  and  completely  covered 
with  curious  carving,  which  must  have  required 
great  skill  and  labor.  In  the  centre  is  a  hollow 
well,  from  which  a  canal  runs  to  the  edge  of  the 


THE    GRAND   NATIONAL   MUSEUM.  285 

stone,  evidently  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  away 
the  blood  of  the  victim.  Standing  behind  this 
stone  is  the  old  image  of  the  war-god,  to  whom 
these  sacrifices  were  made,  —  a  huge,  hideous, 
shapeless  figure,  cut  out  of  solid  rock. 

In  a  room  off  this  court  we  saw  the  gilded  coach 
of  Maximilian.  While  we  were  looking  at  it  some 
Indians  from  the  country  were  gazing  at  it  with 
wonder  and  admiration.  They  had  come  into  the 
city  to  celebrate  some  feast  day,  and  strangely 
enough,  as  it  seemed  to  us,  were  visiting  the 
museum.  Ascending  the  stairs,  we  found  quite 
an  extensive  museum,  containing  a  most  interest- 
ing and  valuable  collection.  Besides  the  mineral, 
animal,  and  vegetable  products  of  the  country  are 
many  curiosities ;  portraits  of  the  old  Spanish 
viceroys,  among  them  that  of  Cortez ;  the  banner 
and  other  relics  of  the  great  conqueror,  and  the 
suit  of  armor  worn  by  his  lieutenant  Alvarado ; 
the  rich  silver  plate  of  Maximilian ;  Aztec  idols  ; 
pottery,  pictures  of  ruins,  and  much  that  is  valua- 
ble and  interesting  to  the  archaeologist  for  its 
antiquity  and  the  skill  it  shows  the  Aztecs  to 
have  possessed.  The  Indians  we  have  mentioned 
seemed  to  regard  us  with  quite  as  much  interest  as 


286  THE  ACADEMY  OF  SAN  CARLOS. 

anything  in  the  museum,  and  showed  a  great  de- 
sire to  talk  with  us.  They  followed  us  about, 
calling  our  attention  to  whatever  was  to  them 
especially  noticeable,  and  the  amount  of  under- 
standing and  appreciation  that  they  showed  in  all 
they  saw  was  quite  surprising. 

Another  notable  institution  is  the  Academy  of 
San  Carlos,  built  in  the  reign  of  Charles  III.  of 
Spain.  It  contains  fine  specimens  of  paintings, 
statuary,  and  steel  engravings.  There  are  works 
of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  Murillo,  Van  Dycke,  and 
Canova,  besides  fine  paintings  by  old  and  modern 
Mexican  artists,  among  whom  is  Velasco,  who  has 
taken  the  beautiful  valley  of  Mexico  for  his  sub- 
ject, and  has  produced  some  very  fine  landscapes. 
While  we  were  being  shown  about,  an  old  gentle- 
man came  and  talked  with  us,  one  who  evidently 
had  a  love  and  appreciation  for  pictures,  and  great 
pride  in  the  place.  The  academy  seemed  to  be  a 
school  for  artists,  and  we  were  really  surprised  at 
the  interest  and  advancement  this  nation  had  evi- 
dently made  in  art. 

Another  building  attesting  to  the  advancement 
of  Mexico  and  interest  in  education  is  the  School 
of  Mines,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  particular 


THE   NATIONAL   PAWN-SHOP.  287 

knowledge  on  the  subject  of  mining.  The  build- 
ing, called  one  of  the  finest  in  Mexico,  cost  two 
million  dollars,  and  is  the  one  in  which  Grant  was 
entertained.  It  has  a  fine  and  extensive  collection 
of  rocks,  minerals,  and  fossils,  belonging  to 
Mexico  ;  but  a  lack  of  system  in  the  arrangement 
of  the  specimens  was  most  noticeable.  The 
Mexicans  do  not  seem  to  pay  as  much  attention 
to  classification  as  we  do. 

One  place  in  which  we  were  disappointed  was 
the  National  Pawn-Shop,  situated  opposite  the 
cathedral,  and  one  of  the  oldest  houses  in  the 
city,  once  the  residence  of  Cortez.  The  guide- 
book says :  "  Pearls,  rubies,  emeralds,  and  dia- 
monds in  great  numbers  dazzle  the  visitor's  sight," 
and  we  went  several  times  to  see  the  rich  trea- 
sures supposed  to  be  stored  there,  but  without 
seeing  anything  of  special  interest.  We  made 
inquiries  each  time  of  the  uniformed  official  at 
the  door  if  there  was  not  more  to  see,  and  he 
invariably  told  us  to  come  "  manana."  Indeed,  in 
our  sight-seeing  this  word  was  continually  bring- 
ing us  to  a  standstill  and  defeating  our  plans.  It 
is  a  word  that  the  traveller  in  Mexico  soon  learns ; 
for  he  hears  it  continually.  We  had  the  follow- 
ing experience  near  the  close  of  our  stay,  when 


288  PROCRASTIXA  T1ON. 

we  felt  that  time  was  precious.  We  visited  the 
pawn-shop  first  in  search  of  some  souvenir  or 
curios,  but,  as  usual,  were  told  to  come  "  ma- 
nana." Then  we  went  to  the  academy  of  San 
Carlos,  where,  having  a  permit  from  the  palace,  we 
were  admitted,  but  strongly  advised  by  the  old 
gentleman  in  attendance  to  come  "  manana,"  be- 
cause then  the  artists  would  be  at  liberty,  and 
would  be  pleased  to  talk  with  us  about  the  pictures. 
To  prevent  ourselves  from  being  sent  away,  we 
had  to  protest  that  we  should  leave  Mexico  "  to- 
morrow," and  should  not  have  another  opportunity 
to  come.  Going  next  to  the  "  Money  Exchange," 
we  found  it  closed,  as  well  as  many  of  the  princi- 
pal stores,  and,  inquiring  of  an  American,  elicited 
the  expected  answer  that  they  were  closed  be- 
cause it  was  a  feast  day,  and  would  not  be  open 
until  to-morrow.  We  next  proceeded  to  one  of 
the  bathing  establishments,  for  which  Mexico  is 
noted,  supposing  of  course  that  they  would  be 
open  always,  but  at  one  after  another  all  the  satis- 
faction we  could  get  was  "  manana,"  u  manana," 
and  we  were  obliged  to  go  to  five  before  we  could 
gain  admittance.  That  night,  on  returning  to  the 
hotel,  we  inquired  for  our  laundry,  which  should 
have  been  there  the  day  before,  and  the  smiling 


A   SOATG   OF   TO-MORROW.  289 

clerk  assured  us  in  the  most  hopeful  tone  that  the 
washwoman  would  come  "manana  sin  falta"  (to- 
morrow without  fail),  but  when  we  saw  that  laun- 
dry again  we  had  been  home  fully  one  week.  It 
was  not  brought  back  to  the  hotel  until  after  our 
departure,  and  travelled  all  the  way  from  Mexico  a 
few  days  behind  us,  a  silent  but  able  witness  of 
the  procrastinating  and  dilatory  character  of  Mex- 
ico and  of  "  manana,"  the  halcyon  Spanish  time  — 
the  time  that  never  comes  but  is  always  coming, 
the  time  that  never  was  but  will  always  be. 
"  Manana"  the  Mexican  will  see  you  on  business  ; 
"  manana"  your  Spanish  friend  will  keep  his  ap- 
pointment ;  "manana"  the  servants  will  execute 
your  commands  ;  to-morrow  you  can  have  every- 
thing you  wish,  but  to-day  nothing.  "  No  time  like 
the  present "  is  transformed  by  the  Spanish  into, 
"no  time  like  to-morrow."  They  work,  plan,  exe- 
cute "  manana,"  but  rest,  eat,  sleep,  and  take  their 
ease  to-day.  More  true  of  them  even  than  of  us 
are  the  words  of  Shakespeare  :  — 

To-morrow  and  to-morrow  and  to-morrow 
-Creeps  on  its  petty  pace  from  day  to  day, 
To  the  last  syllable  of  recorded  time  ; 
And  all  our  yesterdays  have  lighted  fools 
The  way  to  dusty  death. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

EXCURSIONS    IX    THE    SUBURBS. 

BY  taking  a  trip  in  any  line  of  horse-cars  start- 
ing from  the  Plaza,  a  very  delightful  excursion  can 
be  made,  in  the  midst  always  of  beautiful  scenery 
and  curious  sights.  Of  these  excursions  we  will 
mention  but  few. 

One  day  we  went  to  the  "  Shrine  of  Guada- 
lupe,"  about  three  miles  distant  from  the  city,  the 
most  sacred  place  of  worship  in  the  country ;  so 
sacred  that  some  devotees  crawl  all  the  way  from 
the  City  of  Mexico  on  their  hands  and  knees  to 
visit  it.  On  a  steep  hill  stands  the  chapel 
dedicated  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  who  is  believed  to 
have  appeared  on  this  spot  to  a  poor  Indian  shep- 
herd, and  commanded  him  to  go  to  the  bishop 
and  tell  her  wish  that  a  church  be  built.  The 
bishop  was  skeptical  until  the  Virgin  had  appeared 
several  times,  caused  flowers  to  spring  up  miracu- 
lously, and  finally  stamped  her  image  on  the 
290 


THE  SHRINE   OF  GUADALUPE.  2QI 

Indian's  blanket.  Then  he  was  convinced,  and  a 
chapel  was  built  on  the  hill  and  a  magnificent 
church,  costing  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars,  on 
the  plain  below,  one  of  the  objects  of  interest 
in  the  church  being  an  altar-rail  of  pure  silver, 
worth  several  thousand  dollars. 

It  was  a  long  climb,  by  winding  stone  steps,  to 
the  top  of  the  hill,  but  we  were  rewarded  with  a 
fine  view.  In  front  of  the  chapel  is  a  strange 
monument  in  the  form  of  a  mast  and  sails  carved 
from  stone,  the  gift  of  a  sailor  who  escaped  ship- 
wreck at  sea ;  and  in  the  chapel  are  numerous 
offerings  testifying  to  miraculous  cures  ;  even  the 
blanket  is  there,  with  the  image  stamped  upon  it, 
to  convince  all  disbelievers.  Behind  the  church 
is  a  burying-ground,  and  fabulous  sums  are  paid  to 
be  buried  here..  Among  other  graves  is  that  of 
Santa  Anna. 

Another  day,  starting  off  in  a  different  direc- 
tion, we  had  a  delightful  ride  through  several  of 
the  suburban  towns,  and  visited  the  historic  tree 
of  "  la  noche  triste,"  —  the  tree  under  which 
Cortez  is  said  to  have  encamped  after  the  disaster 
to  his  army  on  that  sad  night  when  he  was  obliged 
to  flee  from  the  City  of  Mexico  with  such  terrible 


2Q2          «  THE    TREE   OF  THE  SAD  NIGHT." 

loss.  The  tree  is  one  of  the  cypresses  which  in 
Mexico  attain  such  enormous  size,  has  a  knotted 
gnarled  trunk  of  huge  proportions,  and  gives  abun- 
dant proof  of  its  age.  It  is  now  surrounded  by 
an  iron  fence,  on  account  of  attempts  of  the  In- 
dians to  destroy  it  in  order  to  show  their  hatred 
of  the  Spaniards.  The  events  of  the  "sad  night" 
are  described  by  Prescott  in  the  most  graphic 
manner. 

On  the  death  of  Montezuma,  the  only  tie  be- 
tween the  Spaniards  and  the  natives  was  broken, 
and  the  Spaniards  were  obliged  to  evacuate  the 
city.  They  chose  a  dark  night,  when  all  was  wrapt 
in  silence,  and  began  their  march  as  noiselessly  as 
possible  ;  but  as  they  reached  the  canal  and  were 
laying  their  portable  bridge,  which  would  bring 
them  in  comparative  safety  on  the  other  shore, 
"  several  Indian  sentinels,  who  had  been  stationed 
there,  took  the  alarm  and  fled,  rousing  their  coun- 
trymen by  their  cries.  The  priests,  keeping  night 
watch  on  the  summit  of  the  'teocallis,'  instantly 
caught  the  tidings  and  sounded  their  shells,  while 
the  huge  drum  of  serpent  skins,  in  the  desolate  tem- 
ple of  the  war-god,  sent  forth  those  solemn  notes 
which,  heard  only  in  seasons  of  calamity,  vibrated 


A   DISASTROUS  RETREAT. 

through  every  corner  of  the  capital.  The  Span- 
iards saw  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  But 
before  they  could  cross,  a  gathering  sound  was 
heard  like  that  of  a  mighty  forest  agitated  by  the 
winds.  It  grew  louder  and  louder,  while  on  the 
dark  waters  of  the  lake  was  heard  a  splashing 
noise  as  of  many  oars.  Then  came  stones  and 
arrows  falling  every  moment  faster  and  more 
furious,  till  they  thickened  into  a  terrible  tempest, 
while  the  very  heavens  were  rent  with  yells  and 
war  cries  of  myriads  of  combatants  who  seemed 
all  at  once  to  be  swarming  over  land  and  lake." 

"  The  carnage  raged  fearfully  all  along  the 
length  of  the  causeway."  Confusion  and  disor- 
der reigned  supreme,  and  the  voice  of  Cortez  was 
lost  in  the  great  uproar.  Many  of  the  cavaliers 
plunged  into  the  water,  and  some  succeeded  in 
swimming  across,  but  many  were  cut  down  by  the 
Aztecs,  or  dragged  on  board  their  canoes  to  meet 
•a  worse  death  on  the  sacrificial  stone;  or,  reaching 
the  bank,  were  rolled  headlong  down  the  steep. 
At  the  third  breach  Alvarado  is  said  to  have  per- 
formed his  wonderful  feat  of  "  clearing  the  wide 
gap  at  a  leap,"  so  remarkable  an  achievement  that 
the  Indians  gave  him  the  name  "  Tonatiuh  "  (the 


294  ALVAR  ADO'S  LEAP. 

child  of  the  sun).  The  spot  where  this  occurred 
is  now  a  street  called  "El  Salto  de  Alvarado" 
(Alvarado's  leap),  and  the  conductor  pointed  it  out 
to  us  as  we  passed  it. 

Cortez  and  a  portion  of  his  army  escaped,  and 
reached  the  village  of  Popotla,  where  they  halted. 
It  is  said  that  Cortez,  although  accustomed  to  con- 
ceal his  feelings,  covered  his  face  with  his  hands, 
and  wept  as  he  looked  in  vain  for  some  of  his 
bravest  cavaliers,  and  beheld  the  disabled  and 
disordered  company  —  all  that  was  left  of  his  once 
proud  and  powerful  army.  That  after  this  he 
could  ever  return  and  conquer  this  great  empire 
seemed  almost  incredible,  and  ranks  with  the 
great  exploits  of  romance. 

At  the  southeast  end  of  the  city  there  is  a  rem- 
nant of  the  "fair  Venice  of  the  Aztecs"  in  the 
Viga  canal,  with  its  floating  gardens  leading  to  the 
lakes  Chalco  and  Xochimilco.  At  the  place  where 
the  canal  enters  the  city  the  scene,  especially  in 
the  morning,  is  a  busy  and  interesting  one,  the 
water  being  covered  with  flat-bottomed  boats 
poled  by  Indians  and  loaded  with  vegetables  and 
flowers.  Very  often  there  is  a  flower-show  here, 
and  the  Indians,  who  have  retained  the  old  Aztec 


JOY  AND  SUNSHINE. 

characteristic  of  love  of  flowers,  expose  for  sale 
most  beautiful  bouquets,  as  artistic  as  those  of  our 
best  florists  ;  large  bouquets  of  roses,  which  here 
would  sell  for  five  or  six  dollars,  being  sold 
there  for  twenty-five  or  thirty-seven  and  a  half 
cents.  Alopg  the  canal  is  a  fine  avenue  lined  on 
both  sides  with  large  trees,  and  at  these  flower- 
shows  this  avenue  is  filled  with  coaches  and  horse- 
men, composing  the  elite  of  the  town.  There  are 
many  fanciful  booths  trimmed  with  palm  leaves 
and  poppies  ;  two  bands  of  music  play  alternately, 
and  the  street  is  thronged  with  a  gay  company. 
The  whole  scene  betokens  a  holiday  festivity,  and 
one  such  occasion  with  us  would  be  considered 
gayety  enough  for  a  period  of  years,  but  the  Mexi- 
cans repeat  them  almost  every  week,  such  a  land 
is  theirs  for  mirth  and  music,  for  flowers  and  fruit, 
for  joy  and  sunshine  ! 

There  are  numerous  boats,  with  awnings  and 
cushioned  seats,  to  be  engaged  at  fifty  cents  or 
one  dollar  an  hour,  for  an  excursion  up  the  canal. 
These  are  poled  by  Indians,  and  remind  one 
somewhat  of  the  gondolas  of  Venice.  We  se- 
lected one  from  the  numerous  boatmen  who 
eagerly  sought  our  patronage,  and  were  soon 


296  UNDER  A   SPELL. 

gently  gliding  over  the  smooth  water.  It  was  a 
perfect  day,  as  were  all  our  days  in  Mexico  ;  the 
sky  was  bright,  cloudless,  and  beautifully  blue,  and 
the  whole  atmosphere  was  pervaded  by  such  peace 
and  quiet  as  must  have  reigned  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden.  The  most  careless  and  unappreciative 
person  could  not  fail  to  come  under  the  spell,  and 
banish  for  the  time  all  thought  of  the  world  and 
its  strife. 

As  we  glided  on  we  passed  fine  avenues  of  trees 
and  queer  old  adobe  villages,  unchanged  in  the 
lapse  of  time.  We  ourselves  were  the  only  fea- 
ture of  the  scene  that  did  not  belong  to  ages 
past ;  for  in  the  reign  of  Montezuma  these  same 
towns  stood  here,  the  same  willows  grew  on  the 
banks,  and  just  such  boats,  loaded  with  vegetables 
and  flowers,  and  poled  by  Indians  with  precisely 
the  same  appearance,  passed  up  and  down  this 
canal.  Where  else  in  the  world  can  be  found  a 
more  interesting  primitive  scene  ?  And,  although 
we  wish  for  this  land  all  the  advancement  that 
civilization  can  bring,  still  we  would  stay  the  hand 
of  progress  and  preserve  yet  many  years  Mexico's 
pristine  characteristics  that  make  it  so  quaint, 
so  strange,  so  fascinating ! 


FLOATING   GARDENS.  2Q/ 

We  made  our  first  stop  at  the  adobe  village  of 
Santa  Anita,  which,  with  the  exception  of  a  school- 
house  and  church,  is  unchanged  since  the  time  of 
Cortez.  The  whole  appearance  was  very  strange, 
unlike  any  Indian  town  we  had  yet  seen.  Here  we 
took  another  boat  and  were  poled  about  awhile 
among  the  famous  "  chinampas,"  or  floating  gar- 
dens, our  Indian  stopping  at  some  of  them  and 
picking  flowers  for  us  until  we  had  all  our  hands 
could  hold. 

% 

These  gardens  —  one  of  the  wonders  of  Aztec 
civilization  —  were  constructed  by  the  Aztecs  in 
their  poverty  of  land,  and  were  made  as  follows  : 
They  bound  together  reeds,  rushes,  and  bushes 
into  a  raft,  and  on  this  placed  sediment  from  the 
bottom  of  the  lake,  and  strips  of  turf,  until  gradu- 
ally an  inland  was  formed  three  hundred  or  four 
hundred  feet  long  and  three  or  four  feet  deep. 
Sometimes  willow  poles  were  driven  through  the 
islands  into  the  ground,  and  these  poles,  taking 
root,  helped  to  hold  the  land  more  securely.  In 
the  process  of  time  many  of  these  islands  have 
become  solid,  as  were  these  at  Santa  Anita,  but 
farther  up  the  lakes  are  others,  more  recently 
formed,  that  properly  deserve  the  term  ''floating." 


298  OUR  LAST  1XDIAX  BREAKFAST. 

It  is  said  that  criminals  have  sometimes  escaped 
their  pursuers  by  diving  under  these  islands. 

There  were  never  more  ideal  gardens  than 
these  ;  for,  with  a  rich  soil,  a  hot  sun  above,  and 
plenty  of  water  at  the  very  roots  of  the  plants,  all 
the  requirements  for  a  luxuriant  growth  are  ful- 
filled. They  are  certainly  a  beautiful  sight,  and  we 
could  appreciate  the  feeling  of  the  conquerors  when 
they  first  beheld  these  "wandering  islands  of  ver- 
dure"—  a  scene  so  new  and  wonderful  that  it 
seemed  like  "enchantment." 

Leaving  Santa  Anita  we  went  on  a  little  farther 
amidst  the  same  scenes,  and  stopped  for  breakfast 
at  a  queer  old  town  where  there  was  an  inn,  or 
"  posada,"  with  summer-houses,  a  garden  of  beauti- 
ful flowers,  and  a  hall  for  dancing,  sometimes  used 
by  parties  coming  out  from  the  city.  \Ye  thought, 
to  make  the  day  complete,  we  really  ought  to  eat  an 
Indian  breakfast  ;  besides,  we  wanted  to  show  our 
friends  how  we  fared  in  Guatemala ;  so,  scorning 
beefsteak  and  other  civilized  dishes  which  the 
landlord  offered,  we  ordered  frijoles,  tortillas, 
fried  eggs,  and  coffee.  As  our  friends  tasted 
their  breakfast  rather  carefully  and  reluctantly,  we 
said,  "  How  would  you  like  this  fare  for  ten  days  ? " 


CHAPULTEPEC.  299 

and  then,  if  not  before,  we  appeared  in  their  eyes 
in  something  the  character  of  heroes. 

At  this  point  we  had  to  decide  the  question 
whether  we  should  go  on  toward  the  lakes  or 
return  to  the  city,  and  began  to  interview  our 
boatman  on  the  subject,  the  conversation  with 
him  being  one  of  those  amusing  experiences  of 
which  we  had  so  many.  He  talked  Spanish  so 
fast  and  so  indistinctly,  that  it  took  the  combined 
efforts  of  two  of  us  to  get  his  meaning,  and  the 
debate  was  a  long  and  earnest  one.  Finally,  as- 
certaining that  it  was  so  far  to  the  lakes  that  we 
should  have  to  remain  all  night  in  an  Indian  vil- 
lage (a  far  less  desirable  place  in  Mexico  than 
Guatemala),  we  decided  to  return  to  the  city  and 
finish  the  excursion  at  another  time. 

The  crowning  glory  of  all  our  journey  was  our 
visit  to  Chapultepec,  that  famous  castle  built  by 
the  Spaniards  on  the  site  of  the  palace  of  Monte- 
zuma.  The  castle  is  reached  by  one  of  the  finest 
boulevards  in  the  world — the  "  Paseo  de  la  Re- 
forma" — about  two  miles  in  length,  a  broad, 
straight,  smooth  drive,  bounded  on  both  sides  by 
fine  avenues  of  trees,  and  adorned  with  beautiful 
statuary :  the  first,  a  fine  equestrian  statue  of 


3°°  A   FINE   BOULEVARD. 

Charles  IV.  of  Spain,  the  first  bronze  ever  cast  in 
this  hemisphere  ;  the  second,  a  monument  to  Co- 
lumbus, consisting  of  five  figures,  the  largest  and 
upper  being  the  great  discover,  and  the  others  the 
principal  Spanish  missionaries  ;  and  the  third,  a 
statue  not  yet  completed,  in  honor  of  "  Guatimo- 
zin,"  the  last  of  the  Aztec  emperors. 

Every  moment  of  the  drive  was  a  perfect  de- 
light. At  the  end  of  the  boulevard,  the  carriage 
wound  around  the  steep  hill  to  the  top,  where 
stands  the  castle.  The  hill  is  of  porphyry,  and 
has  a  grove  of  cypress  trees  hung  with  festoons  of 
Spanish  moss.  These  cypresses  are  remarkable 
for  their  beauty  and  size,  being  over  a  hundred  feet 
in  height,  and  fifty  feet  in  cirumference. 

The  place  is  by  nature  a  strong  fortification, 
and  it  was  the  last  defence  to  be  taken  in  Scott's 
campaign  against  Mexico.  As  we  looked  down 
upon  the  steep,  rocky  hillside,  we  wondered  how 
the  American  army  ever  scaled  that  height  as  they 
did  under  fire.  Just  below,  in  the  grove,  is  a  beau- 
tiful monument  to  the  Mexican  cadets  who  fell  in 
this  battle,  and  back  of  the  castle  can  be  seen  the 
battle-field  of  "Molino  del  Rey,"  where  a  skirmish 
occurred  before  the  storming  of  Chapultepec. 


A   SPANISH  CASTLE.  3O1 

The  castle  was  built  at  the  close  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  has  been  the  favorite  residence 
of  the  Spanish  viceroys,  of  Maximilian,  and  of 
the  Mexican  presidents,  and  it  was  then  being 
repaired  and  remodelled  for  President  Diaz.  The 
military  school  is  here,  and  the  place  is  often 
called  the  "  West  Point  "  of  Mexico.  One  of  our 
party  remarked,  "  If  this  is  not  a  '  castle  in  Spain ' 
it  is  the  next  thing  to  it,  a  Spanish  castle"; 
and  we  thought  of  George  William  Curtis'  delight- 
ful chapter,  entitled  "My  Chateaux,"  and  of  all 
the  airy  structures  his  characters  built,  and  felt 
if  they  could  be  there  with  us  they  would  surely 
say  they  had  at  last  seen  something  quite  as  fair 
as  their  own  "castles  in  Spain." 

We  entered  the  building  and  wandered  through 
the  spacious  rooms,  broad  balconies  and  gardens, 
having  at  every  point  a  view  of  transcendent 
beauty — a  view  which  we  believe  is  unsurpassed 
by  any  in  the  world.  Our  friends,  just  from  a 
seven  months'  tour  in  Europe,  declared  they  had 
never  seen  anything  more  beautiful  than  this, — 
the  peaceful  valley  of  Mexico,  green  and  smiling 
under  a  summer  sky,  waving  with  yellow  corn  and 
tropical  trees,  and  dotted  with  Indian  villages. 


302  +      A   LOVELY   VALLEY. 

In  the  near  distance  was  the  great  capital,  with  its 
white  domes  and  towers ;  farther  away  were  the 
blue  lakes  of  Chalco  and  Tecuzco ;  and  surround- 
ing the  whole  valley  was  the  great  chain  of 
mountains,  among  which  rise  the  two  majestic 
snow-crowned  volcanoes  of  "  Popocatapetl "  and 
"  Ixtaccihuatl." 

Of  this  view  a  fine  description  is  given  by  Pres- 
cott,  as  the  Spaniards  first  beheld  it  from  the 
summit  of  a  mountain,  after  a  toilsome  march  : 
"The  valley  of  Mexico,  with  its  picturesque  as- 
semblage of  water,  woodland,  and  cultivated  plains, 
its  shining  cities  and  shadowing  hills,  was  spread 
out  like  some  gay  and  gorgeous  panorama  before 
them.  In  the  highly  rarefied  atmosphere  of  these 

upper   regions    even   remote  objects  have  a  bril- 

• 

liancy  of  coloring  and  a  distinctness  of  outline 
which  seems  to  annihilate  distance.  Stretching 
far  away  at  their  feet  were  seen  noble  forests  of 
oak,  sycamore,  and  cedar,  and  beyond,  yellow 
fields  of  maize  and  towering  maguey,  intermin- 
gled with  orchards  and  blooming  gardens.  In  the 
centre  of  the  great  basin  were  beheld  the  lakes, 
occupying  then  a  much  larger  portion  than  at 
present ;  their  borders  were  thickly  studded  with 


A   RESTFUL   SCENE.  3°3 

towns  and  hamlets,  and  in  the  midst  the  fair  City 
of  Mexico,  the  far-famed  Venice  of  the  Aztecs. 
High  over  all  rose  the  royal  hill  of  Chapultepec, 
crowned  with  the  same  grove  of  gigantic  cypresses 
which  at  this  clay  fling  their  broad  shadows  over 
the  land,  and  still  farther  on  the  dark  belt  of 
porphyry,  girding  the  valley  around  like  a  rich  set- 
ting, which  nature  had  devised  for  the  fairest  of 
her  jewels." 

In  the  course  of  time,  with  the  recession  and 
evaporation  of  the  lakes,  the  landscape  has  lost 
some  of  its  original  beauty,  but  even  now  "  no 
traveller,  however  cold,  can  gaze  on  it  with  any 
other  emotions  than  those  of  astonishment  and 
rapture." 

One  of  the  most  striking  characteristics  of  the 
scene  is  the  quiet  serenity  pervading  the  whole. 
Spenser  might  well  have  chosen  it  for  his  Palace 
of  Morpheus,  for  :  — 

"  No  noyse  nor  peoples  troublous  cryes, 
As  still  are  won't  t'  anoy  the  walled  towne, 
Might  there  be  heard ;  but  careles  Quiet  lyes, 
Wrapt  in  eternal  silence,  farre  from  enimyes." 

It  would  remind  one,  too,  of  the  "  Happy  Valley 
of  Rasselas,"  which  the  prince  and  princess  left  to 


304  A    TRYSTIXG   PLACE. 

wander  about  the  world  in  vain  search  for  happi- 
ness, to  return  at  last  to  their  own  valley  again, 
convinced  that  nowhere  else  was  happiness  to  be 
found. 

Hardly  a  spot  in  the  world,  save  the  Alhambra 
itself,  could  be  more  fraught  with  romantic  associ- 
ations, or  could  stir  more  the  sentiments  and  imagi- 
nation. "  What  a  place  for  love's  young  dream  !  " 
even  our  practical  party  could  not  help  exclaim- 
ing, and  felt  that  to  make  the  scene  complete  we 
should  have  brought  with  us  the  fair  Bertha  and 
the  young  doctor,  two  of  our  fellow-travellers  and 
hotel  companions,  who  were  carrying  on  a  love 
affair,  as  we  supposed,  although  it  afterward  proved 
a  very  harmless  flirtation.  But  indulgence  in 
revery  and  sentimentality  was  not  long  continued, 
for  two  of  the  party,  on  thrift  intent,  remembered 
that  the  carriage  was  waiting,  and  called  out, 
"  Come,  we  can't  pay  fifty  cents  an  hour  for 
any  more  romancing." 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

HOMEWARD    BOUND. 

BESIDES  the  places  of  interest  already  de- 
scribed, there  are  many  more  both  in  and  about 
the  capital,  and  one  could  easily  spend  a  month  in 
constant  sight-seeing  with  both  pleasure  and 
profit ;  for  wherever  one  turns  he  can  find  some- 
thing new  and  strange,  something  which  makes 
him  wish  to  linger,  and  which,  when  he  has  left, 
he  longs  to  see  again.  The  very  air  seems  teeming 
with  antiquity.  It  is  never  crisp  and  fresh  as  in  a 
bright  autumnal  day  in  New  England,  and  seems 
to  say,  "I  was  here  years  ago  when  the  red  man 
alone  dwelt  in  this  valley ;  I  vibrated  to  the  thun- 
derings  of  the  mighty  arms  of  Cortez  and  his  ava- 
ricious host,  and  echoed  their  shouts  of  victory  ; 
I  have  brooded  over  all  the  uprisings  and  strifes 
of  tumultuous  Mexico,  and  now-  envelop  it  in 
peace  as  it  looks  forward  to  advancement  and 


a  higher  civilization." 


305 


3°6  LEATIXG   MEXICO. 

Still,  although  there  was  much  that  tempted  us 
to  linger,  longings  for  home  and  friends  from 
whom  we  had  been  so  long  parted  were  each  day 
becoming  stronger  and  stronger,  and  almost  as 
suddenly  as  we  left  Vera  Cruz  we  decided  to  leave 
the  City  of  Mexico.  Accordingly,  one  Thursday 
evening  we  said  good-bye  to  our  friends,  who  were 
to  remain  a  little  longer,  and  left  the  city  at  eight 
o'clock  by  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad.  That 
first  night  we  were  passing  through  one  of  the  dan- 
gerous portions  of  Mexico ;  the  train  went  very 
slowly,  and  a  constant  watch  was  kept  for  obstruc- 
tions on  the  track.  We  were  told  that  a  night 
rarely  passed  that  the  engineer  was  not  obliged  to 
stop  and  roll  off  the  track  great  stones  or  other 
obstacles  placed  there  for  the  destruction  of  the 
train.  Still,  as  yet,  there  has  not  been  a  single 
accident  on  this  road. 

The  next  day  we  were  travelling  on  broad  table- 
lands, through  extensive  "  haciendas,"  and  strange 
Mexican  cities.  There  is  probably  no  place  in 
the  world  where  stock-raising  is  conducted  on  a 
grander  scale  than  on  these  plains.  One  ranch 
sometimes  covers  hundreds  of  square  miles,  and 
possesses  ten  and  even  a  hundred  thousand  head 


BEGGARS  AND   PEDDLERS.  3°7 

of  cattle.  Such  vast  estates,  of  course,  can  only 
be  surveyed  on  horseback.  The  Mexican  herds- 
men pass  about  half  their  time  in  the  saddle, 
are  the  boldest  horsemen  in  the  world,  and  the 
most  expert  in  the  use  of  the  lasso. 

At  every  station  were  the  same  curious,  inter- 
esting scenes  we  have  already  described,  venders 
and  beggars  being  as  numerous  as  ever.  The 
device  my  father  employed  to  get  rid  of  them,  and 
also  to  take  a  little  revenge,  was  to  answer  "  ma- 
fiana"  to  all  their  entreaties.  This  made  some  of 
them  indignant,  although  not  a  few  appreciated  the 
joke,  for  these  people  are  often  remarkably  quick. 

There  is  not  the  same  display  of  military 
force  on  this  road  as  on  that  from  Vera  Cruz,  but 
at  all  the  stations  greatest  care  has  to  be  exercised 
against  thieves.  Everything  that  it  is  possible  for 
a  man  to  lift  has  to  be  taken  in  at  night  and 
locked  up.  Before  this  was  done,  the  people  stole 
even  the  car-couplings.  When  the  train  stops  for 
meals,  either  the  conductor  or  porter  has  to  stay 
in  the  car  and  keep  watch,  or  lock  all  the  doors, 
otherwise  these  Mexicans  would  enter  and  steal 
everything  they  could  put  their  hands  on,  even  to 
the  brushes  and  towels  in  the  toilet-room. 


A   MIXING   DISTRICT. 

We  took  dinner  at  "  Aguas  Calientes,"  so  called 
from  the  hot  springs  found  there.  It  is  one  of  the 
prettiest  cities  in  Mexico,  with  wide  streets,  and 
handsome  plazas,  and  has  a  population  of  about 
forty  thousand. 

That  evening  we  reached  Zacatecas,  the  centre 
of  one  of  the  great  mining  districts  of  Mexico. 
The  grade  is  quite  steep  here,  and  from  a  ridge 
called  the  "  Bufa,"  a  fine  view  is  had  of  this,  one 
of  the  quaintest  towns  of  Mexico,  of  the  sur- 
rounding hills  containing  rich  mines,  and  of  the 
far-stretching  plains  below.  In  this  city  street 
cars  are  run  in  rather  a  novel  fashion.  Six  mules 
are  required  to  draw  the  cars  to  the  top  of  the  hill 
on  which  the  city  is  situated,  but  at  the  top  the 
mules  are  taken  off  and  the  car,  full  of  passen- 
gers, is  let  loose  to  run  down  the  hill  by  the  force 
of  gravitation.  It  must  indeed  be  rather  exciting 
to  run  down  the  steep  hill  in  a  horse-car  at  this 
rapid  rate. 

The  next  morning  dawned  upon  a  desolate 
country,  and  all  Saturday  we  travelled  through 
what  was  little  better  than  a  desert,  —  a  hot,  dusty 
plain  covered  with  sage,  buffalo  grass,  and  thorny 
cactus,  with  only  rugged,  dreary  mountains  visible 


IN  THE  DESERT.  309 

in  the  distance.  Occasionally  we  passed  a  stream 
or  river  where  trees  and  a  little  grass  made  a 
veritable  oasis  in  the  desert.  There  were  few 
people  living  in  these  dreary  wastes,  and  we 
wondered  that  there  were  any.  They  of  course 
lived  in  a  wretched  way,  in  hovels  and  dug-outs, 
with  little  to  eat  except  the  fruit  of  the  cactus. 
The  desolation  of  the  country  had  been  increasing 
since  we  left  Mexico.  The  change  even  from  the 
day  before  was  great,  and  was  strikingly  shown 
in  the  simple  fact  that  the  price  of  oranges  had 
advanced  from  one  cent  to  five  cents  apiece.  Of 
course,  all  provisions  have  to  be  brought  here  by 
the  train,  and  the  restaurants  in  which  we  had 
our  meals  were  as  unique  as  original,  —  old  bag- 
gage-cars by  the  side  of  the  track,  into  which  we 
climbed  by  some  wooden  steps. 

In  our  Pullman,  the  passengers  were  nearly  all 
Americans,  and  we  became  as  well  acquainted  as 
if  on  board  a  steamer.  We  especially  enjoyed  con- 
versation with  a  Congressman  from  Vermont,  and 
with  a  gentleman  of  Cuban  family. 

Sunday  morning  we  arrived  in  Paso  del  Norte, 
the  last  station  in  Mexico,  where  we  received  a 
visit  from  the  custom-house  officers,  of  whose  strict- 


310  CKOSSIA'G    THE   FRONTIER. 

ness  we  had  heard  appalling  stories,  and  we  had 
to  pay  our  first  and  only  duty  in  the  journey,  —  a 
duty  on  Mexican  "  curios,"  not,  however,  an  ex- 
orbitant one.  Leaving  this  station  we  crossed 
the  Rio  Grande  and  were  at  El  Paso,  Tex.,  where 
we  were  for  the  first  time  in  many  months  under 
our  own  stars  and  stripes.  We  had  left  behind 
us  the  "land  of  the  Montezumas,"  —  that  land  of 
"  sunny  climes,"  of  grand  scenery,  and  of  wondrous 
ruins ;  we  had  left  behind  a  people  as  unlike  our- 
selves as  is  their  country;  a  people  just  waking  up 
from  their  dream  of  the  past  to  take  their  place 
in  the  progress  of  to-day ;  and  we  had  left  behind, 
too,  their  language,  which,  with  all  the  rest  and 
perhaps  more  than  all  the  rest,  had  charmed  us. 

Right  here  we  must  speak  a  word  for  the  Span- 
ish language,  which  is  not  properly  appreciated. 
It  has  not  yet  been  adopted  in  schools,  and  recog- 
nized among  students,  as  it  seems  to  us  it  should 
be,  on  an  equality  with  French  and  German  ;  but 
a  movement  has  already  started  in  this  direction  ; 
and  now  that  there  is  such  an  outlook  for  increased 
commercial  relations  between  the  United  States 
and  Spanish-speaking  countries,  particularly  Mex- 
ico, it  will  doubtless  soon  take  its  place  as  a  study 


THE  IMPORTANCE   OF  SPANISH.  311 

quite  as  useful  and  far  more  pleasing,  as  we  be- 
lieve, than  the  other  two. 

Its  importance  and  the  extent  to  which  it  is 
spoken  are  by  no  means  fully  realized.  It  is  gen- 
erally thought  of  as  confined  to  the  small  and  not 
very  powerful  kingdom  of  Spain,  while  in  reality 
its  territory  is  one  of  the  most  extensive  in  the 
world,  embracing,  besides  Spain,  Mexico,  Central 
and  South  America,  the  West  Indies,  the  Canary 
and  Philippine  Islands,  and  parts  of  Africa.  On 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic  alone  it  is  spoken  by 
sixty  millions  of  people,  so  that  here  on  our  own 
continent  English  is  really  in  the  minority  ! 

Spanish,  as  is  well  known,  is  an  offspring  from 
the  Latin.  When  the  rude  barbarians  of  the 
North  came  down  in  such  hordes  upon  Southern 
Europe  and  conquered  the  Roman  Empire,  their 
language,  the  Gothic,  mingled  with  the  Latin,  and 
in  time  produced  the  "  Romance  Languages,"  — 
French,  Spanish,  and  Italian.  The  principal 
changes  the  Latin  underwent  were  a  general  soft- 
ening, and  a  loss  in  declension,  for  the  compli- 
cated system  of  the  Latin  was  too  much  for  the 
rude  Northern  tribes  to  master ;  and  doubtless 
children  of  the  present  generation,  first  grappling 


312  THE  MELODY  OF  SPANISH. 

with  the  Latin  grammar,  would  gladly  follow  their 
example  if  they  could.  From  its  kinship  to  the 
Latin  and  French,  a  knowledge  of  these  two  lan- 
guages is  a  great  help  in  learning  Spanish,  which 
is  generally  considered  a  very  easy  language  to 
acquire,  as  indeed  it  is,  although  there  is  a  vast 
difference  between  a  thorough  and  a  superficial 
knowledge.  It  is  very  easy,  especially  with  a 
knowledge  of  Latin  and  French,  to  learn  to  read 
Spanish,  and  to  speak  all  that  is  required  to  ex- 
press the  ordinary  wants  of  everyday  life,  such  as 
a  traveller  would  need  in  making  a  journey  in 
Mexico,  the  West  Indies,  or  Spain ;  but  it  is  no 
easy  or  insignificant  task  to  thoroughly  master  the 
language,  and  even  the  most  scholarly  will  find 
sufficient  intellectual  gymnastics  in  the  study. 

During  our  journey  we  heard  various  languages, 
but  none  were  so  pleasing  as  this.  There  is  some- 
thing about  the  sound  of  it  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  people  speak  it,  that  is  perfectly  capti- 
vating, and  makes  everybody  that  hears  it  wish  to 
speak  it  too.  Its  musical  character  is  well  known 
and  generally  recognized.  It  can,  however,  sound 
very  disagreeable,  if  uttered  by  a  rude  person, 
with  a  harsh  voice  ;  and  in  some  parts  of  Guate- 


GEORGE  ELIOT  ON  SPANISH.  3r3 

mala,  as  used  by  the  country  women,  it  was  no 
more  pleasing  than  the  quacking  of  clucks,  which 
it  very  much  resembled.  But  when  spoken  by  a 
cultured  person  it  is  to  our  ears  as  sweet  as  any 
music  in  the  world.  George  Eliot  speaks  thus 
of  it :  — 

The  talk  of  Spanish  men 

With  Southern  intonation,  vowels  turned 

Caressingly  between  the  consonants, 

Persuasive,  willing,  with  such  intervals 

As  music  borrows  from  the  wooing  birds, 

That  plead  with  subtly  curving,  sweet  descent. 

There  is  none  sweeter  save  the  Italian,  and  what 
that  gains  in  this  respect  it  loses  in  strength,  in 
which  the  Spanish  is  by  no  means  wanting.  From 
the  Arabic  during  the  eight  hundred  years  of  the 
Moorish  rule  in  Spain,  it  acquired  vigor  and  rich- 
ness and  that  oriental  coloring  which  distinguishes 
it  among  the  other  Romance  languages.  It  pos- 
sesses, also,  a  majesty  which  makes  it  well  fitted 
to  express  dignity  and  pathos,  and  it  is  very 
poetic,  far  more  so  than  the  English.  This  char- 
acteristic we  often  noticed  even  in  our  guides,  who, 
from  the  common  people  as  they  were,  frequently 
surprised  us  with  the  poetic  manner  in  which 
they  expressed  very  ordinary  and  commonplace 


3T4  FLEXIBILITY  OF  SPANISH. 

thoughts.  Brevity  and  conciseness  are  also  char- 
acteristic, for  the  Spanish  often  expresses  in  two 
words  what  the  English  can  only  say  in  four  or 
five,  and  this  conciseness  of  course  renders  it 
the  more  forcible  and  pithy.  Spanish  proverbs  are 
noted  above  all  others  for  their  sharpness,  deep 
thought,  and  wit. 

Its  great  wealth  of  polite  phrases  has  already 
been  mentioned.  These  are  often  of  a  most  ex- 
travagant nature,  but  the  majority  of  the  forms  of 
courtesy  and  salutation  are  very  pleasing,  and 
supply  a  lack  which  exists  in  our  own  language. 
It  is  also  very  rich  in  augmentatives  and  diminu- 
tives, which  are  both  pretty  and  expressive,  and 
by  these  and  other  properties  the  language  is 
rendered  capable  of  expressing  finer  shades  of 
meaning  than  the  English. 

Every  language,  like  every  nation,  has  its  own 
part  to  perform  and  its  own  peculiar  characteris- 
tics. The  Spanish  language  seems  especially 
adapted  to  express  the  tenderest  relations  of  life, 
and  the  strongest  and  most  exalted  emotions  of 
mankind  —  as  love,  affection,  devotion,  patriotism, 
reverence,  and  even  religious  worship.  As  bear- 
ing on  this  point,  and  showing  this  characteristic 


SPECIAL    USES   OF  SPANISH.  3  l  5 

of  the  language,  we  would  mention  a  teacher  of 
languages  who  often  speaks  Spanish  with  his 
wife,  preferring  it  to  his  own  language  (French) 
or  to  hers  (English).  It  is  well  known  that  it  is  a 
most  unusual  and  remarkable  thing  for  a  French- 
man to  praise  any  language  save  his  own,  much 
more  to  prefer  any  other  to  his  own,  yet  we  met 
in  our  travels  a  most  highly  cultivated  Fiench 
lady  who  also  expressed  this  preference,  and  we 
felt  there  was  no  higher  compliment  possible  for 
the  Spanish.  As  illustrating  the  especial  office  of 
Spanish,  we  would  also  refer  to  a  great  linguist 
who,  it  is  said,  spoke  "  German  to  his  horses, 
French  to  his  valet,  Italian  to  his  mistress,  and 
Spanish  to  his  family,"  and  to  an  eminent  elo- 
cutionist who  said,  "  English  is  the  language  for 
business,  French  for  conversation,  Italian  for  love- 
making,  and  Spanish  for  God." 

Spanish  countries,  the  Spanish  people,  and  the 
Spanish  language  certainly  have  a  fascination  for 
Americans.  It  may  be  because  of  the  diametri- 
cally opposite  characteristics  ;  for  one  is  an  affec- 
tionate, demonstrative,  exceedingly  polite,  slow, 
and  improvident  race,  while  the  other  is  in  com- 
parison a  cold,  undemonstrative,  brusque,  nervous, 


A   STXANGE   FASCINATION. 

and  energetic  race.  There  is  something  about 
these  countries,  when  you  have  once  visited  them, 
that  makes  you  long  to  go  again.  Every  one  of 
our  party  in  Mexico  began  to  talk  about  going 
to  Spain  the  next  year,  and  even  now  with  any 
thought  of  a  journey  first  comes  to  our  minds 
Spain,  or  the  West  Indies,  or  Mexico,  and  we 
verily  believe  they  have,  in  one  sense,  more  at- 
tractions than  all  the  glories  of  Europe.  Bayard 
Taylor,  the  great  traveller,  expressed  this  senti- 
ment in  writing  of  his  travels  in  Spain.  He 
says,  "  In  fact,  although  I  have  seen  little  fine 
scenery  since  leaving  Seville,  have  had  the  worst 
of  weather,  and  no  very  pleasant  travelling  expe- 
riences, the  country  has  exercised  a  fascination 
over  me  which  I  do  not  quite  understand.  I  feel 
myself  constantly  on  the  point  of  making  a  vow 
to  return  again." 

But  to  continue  our  homeward  journey.  At  El 
Paso  the  Mexican  Central  ends,  and  we  changed 
to  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad. 
Having  to  wait  two  hours  for  the  train,  we  had 
time  to  walk  about  and  see  the  town,  which  is 
merely  a  railroad  centre,  the  meeting-place  of  five 
different  railroads. 


REMINDERS   OF  MEXICO. 

The  railroad  crosses  a  corner  of  Texas  and  then 
enters  New  Mexico,  which  it  traverses  from  south 
to  north.  This  territory,  once  belonging  to  Mex- 
ico, bears  marks  of  it  still  in  adobe  villages,  in  quite 
a  percentage  of  Mexican  inhabitants,  and  in  its 
quaint  capital,  Santa  Fe,  the  oldest  town  in  North 
America.  The  whole  territory  is  a  grazing  coun- 
try and  has  a  barren  look,  although  not  as  desolate 
as  that  through  which  we  travelled  the  day  before. 
Steele  says  of  it :  "  Burro  trains,  adobe  castles, 
higgledy-piggledy  villages  are  everywhere.  Sun- 
shine of  the  yellowest  variety  seems  to  shine 
always.  It  is  a  world  of  black  lava  blocks,  gaunt 
cacti,  frowning  ranges  of  sierras,  and  profound 
and  unbroken  peace.  There  are  sometimes  run- 
ning streams  that  seem  to  have  been  mysteriously 
coaxed  uphill,  and  gardens  whose  green  luxuriance 
surprises  the  eye." 

The  next  morning  we  arrived  at  the  station  of 
Las  Vegas.  Six  miles  from  here  are  the  hot 
springs,  a  charming  watering-place  and  health 
resort.  We  had  made  our  plans  to  stop  here  and 
rest,  as  it  had  been  recommended  as  a  place  well 
worth  visiting  ;  but  when  we  reached  here  all  the 
tempting  pictures  and  descriptions  displayed  in 


KIT  CARSOiVS   CAB IX, 

our  books  and  railway  guides  could  not  induce  us 
to  stop,  so  anxious  were  we  to  press  on  toward 
home.  It  only  seemed  as  if  the  train  would  not 
go  fast  enough. 

Leaving  New  Mexico  we  passed  through  the 
southeast  corner  of  Colorado,  in  sight  of  the  Span- 
ish Peaks,  and  then  crossed  the  state  line  into 
Kansas.  One  of  the  passengers  pointed  out  to 
us  the  old  Santa  Fe  trail  and  the  rambling  house 
of  Kit  Carson,  in  a  lonely  region.  Near  this 
spot  the  train  passes  through  quite  a  remarkable 
tunnel,  and  we  went  forward  to  get  the  full  benefit 
of  the  scene.  The  road  at  this  point  is  built  on 
the  hillside  and  has  quite  a  grade. 

We  traversed  Kansas  from  west  to  east,  —  a 
flourishing  state,  with  rich  soil  and  fine  climate, 
growing  cities,  and  a  progressive  population.  Be- 
tween six  and  seven  o'clock  that  evening  (Tues- 
day) we  arrived  at  Kansas  City,  and  were  so  tired 
with  five  days'  continuous  travelling  that  we  con- 
cluded to  stop  for  rest  and  refreshment.  This  is 
a  great  railroad  and  business  centre,  one  of  those 
western  cities  which  have  sprung  up  like  mush- 
rooms in  a  night  and  attained  marvellous  growth. 

The  next  day  we  left  at  evening  by  the  Chicago, 


A   FAMILIAR  FACE.  319 

Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  crossing  Missouri  and 
Illinois,  and  arriving  in  Chicago  the  next  after- 
noon, where  we  stopped,  and  were  entertained  by 
the  representative  of  the  firm.  His  was  the  first 
familiar  face  we  had  seen  since  we  left  home,  and 
if  he  ever  meets  anybody  more  delighted  to  see 
him  he  may  count  himself  a  happy  man  ;  for  how 
welcome  a  sight  a  familiar  face  was,  only  those  can 
appreciate  who  have  had  a  like  experience.  He 
showed  us  all  about  the  city,  which  we  had  not 
visited  since  the  fire,  and  we  noted  great 
changes.  We  had  also  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
the  rest  of  the  family  of  our  travelling  compan- 
ions in  Mexico. 

But  we  could  not  linger  long  even  in  so  attrac- 
tive a  city  as  Chicago  ;  our  great  wish  was  now 
to  reach  home  as  soon  as  possible,  and  we  began 
to  look  *up  the  various  routes  to  Boston.  Almost 
every  state  after  entering  the  United  States  had 
in  it  some  acquaintance  or  some  college  friend 
which  tempted  us  to  stop ;  and  now  especially 
were  there  friends  by  the  way,  but  still  greater 
than  all  other  desires  was  that  to  reach  home. 
It  was  Friday,  and  we  thought  of  the  Sunday 
which  was  soon  to  come,  when  all  the  family  would 


320  HOME  AGAIX. 

be  at  home  longing  for  us  even  as  we  longed  for 
them  ;  we  thought  what  a  pleasant  day  it  would  be 
to  spend  together,  and  how  dreary  if  apart,  and 
thereupon  decided  we  must  take  the  route  which 
would  bring  us  home  Sunday  morning.  Accord- 
ingly we  left  Chicago  that  night  by  the  Michi- 
gan Central.  At  Niagara  the  train  stopped  long 
enough  to  give  us  a  fine  view  of  the  Falls.  Satur- 
day we  were  in  the  southern  part  of  Canada,  and 
"  winter,  lingering  in  the  lap  of  spring,"  treated 
us  to  a  snow-storm,  as  if  to  defy  our  attempt 
to  escape  his  reign.  What  a  change  had  come 
over  the  scene  since  the  beginning  of  our  railway 
journey,  and  how  far  the  "iron  horse  "  had  brought 
us,  even  from  the  glory  and  sunshine  of  the  tropics 
to  the  cold  storms  of  winter ! 

In  the  morning  we  were  once  more  in  dear  old 
Boston,  and  joyfully  greeted  by  the  friends  who 
sadly  parted  with  us  so  many  weeks  before.  What 
joy  there  was  that  day  in  many  hearts  we  shall  not 
undertake  to  tell ! 

Very  few,  perhaps  none,  save  ourselves,  who 
took  this  journey,  can  ever  know  the  whole. 
Much  pleasure  there  was,  to  be  sure,  but 
more  pain  ;  much  to  enjoy,  but  far  more  to  en- 


RE  TROSPECTION.  3  2 1 

dure.  Without  an  aim,  a  definite  purpose,  it  could 
never  have  been  accomplished.  One  went  with 
all  the  ardor  and  zeal  of  an  explorer  ;  the  other, 
at  first,  chiefly  with  the  thought  of  pleasure,  but, 
as  it  proved  in  reality,  to  help,  sustain,  and  care 
for  her  leader. 

Our  sojourn  in  Mexico  and  Guatemala  City  was  a 
real  pleasure,  but  what  enjoyment  we  derived  from 
the  rest  is  much  to  our  own  credit.  We  think  even 
Mark  Tapley,  if  he  had  been  with  us,  would  have 
felt  he  had  at  last  found  places  where  there  was 
real  "  credit  in  being  jolly."  Begging  the  liberty 
to  speak  a  word  for  ourselves,  we  will  say  that 
hearts  less  brave,  courage  less  persistent,  judg- 
ment less  sound  to  plan,  and  will  less  strong  to 
execute,  would  have  fainted  and  fallen  by  the  way 
before  the  journey  was  half  completed.  Neither 
would  we  fail  gratefully  to  acknowledge  the  divine 
Providence  who  as  truly  led  and  kept  us  as  He  did 
the  children  of  Israel  in  their  wanderings. 


IT 


TROPHIES   OF   TRAVEL. 


DRIFTING  ROUND  THE  WORLD ;  A  Boy's  Adven- 
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EDWARD  GREEY'S  JAPANESE   SERIES. 

YOUNG  AMERICANS  IN  JAPAN  ;  or,  The  Adventures 
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THE  WONDERFUL  CITY  OF  TOKIO ;  or,  The  Fur- 
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OUR  BOYS  IN  INDIA.  The  wa-iderings  of  two  young  Americans 
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TRAVELS    AND    OBSERVATIONS  IN   THE  ORIENT, 

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VOYAGE  OF  THE  PAPER  CANOE.  A  Geographical  Jour- 
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